Webinar: Addressing Child Marriage in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in Times of Increased Uncertainty, Violence, and Displacement

Child marriage remains a critical and deeply rooted issue in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), particularly among communities facing ongoing violence, displacement, and economic hardship. Despite national efforts to raise the minimum legal age of marriage to 18, loopholes and inconsistent enforcement continue to place girls at risk. The escalation of violence and the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank have also further increased families’ reliance on early marriage as a coping mechanism.

This webinar, organized by the Regional Action Forum to End Child Marriage (RAF), brings together key partners working on child marriage and gender-based violence prevention to shed light on the latest data, legal challenges, and community-driven responses in both Gaza and the West Bank. It will highlight how local actors continue to protect and empower girls in the face of crisis, and explore ways to strengthen collective advocacy and coordination at the local, regional and international levels, to end child marriage in Palestine, ensuring Palestinian women and girls can still have a chance at a brighter future.

Speakers include:

Abeer Joma’a, Child Protection Officer, UNICEF Palestine Country Office

Sana Asi Yasin, Gender & GBV Programme Officer, UNFPA Palestine Country Office

Amal Syam, Head of the Women’s Affairs Center, Gaza

Sabreen AbeedAllah, SRH Projects Manager, Palestinian Medical Relief Association, West Bank

Gabriela Maria Espinosa, Protection Team Leader, UNRWA, Gaza

Maria Alvarez, Regional Child Protection Technical Lead, UNRWA Regional Office, Amman