"At age 15, we wantd to learn and grow! Not to be child brides - Princess Mabel and Princess Viktória campaigned to end Child Marriage with a clear message when they both attended an expert meeting at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague, Wednesday.
The meeting was organised by Save the Children, of which Princess Viktória de Bourbon de Parme is patron. Princess Viktória is the wife of Prince Jaime, younger brother of the present Duke of Parma, and himself Dutch ambassador in the Vatican. Jaime and Viktória have one daughter, Princess Zita, named after the last Empress of Austria, who was a sister to Jaime's grandfather Prince Xavier of Bourbon-Parma.
Princess Mabel is founder of Girls Not Brides, an umbrella organisation for over 500 ngo's and other organisations in 71 countries across the world who strive for girls rights and an end to child marriage. Every year around 14 million girls are married under the age of 18, and of this number 1 in 7 will marry before their 15th birthday and in extreme cases even before the age of 10. Hence the powerful message: what was your goal at age 15? 'Not to be a child bride'.
© RB Hans Jacobs; Photos by © Monarchy Press Europe, Patrick van Katwijk
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