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AUW Mourns the Passing of Bishop Desmond Tutu, Campaigner Against Child Marriages

Posted on December 27, 2021

Written by AUW

We are so saddened by the passing of Bishop Desmund Tutu, Nobel Peace Laureate and an unflinching activist for justice.  He will be remembered for his many acts of courage and grace and humor, even in the midst of the disillusioning oppression of apartheid in his native South Africa. He spared no tyranny, whether from within or from outside his clan.  At his passing, we honor him for his unstinting commitment to equality — whether based on race or gender.  As a member of the Elders,  he became a forceful advocate for ending child marriages. We reprint below his op ed on this topic that appeared in the Financial Times on November 16, 20216. In the months ahead AUW will announce its plans for creating a Center for Combatting Violence Against Women which will focus, in part, on the scourge of child marriages, now further exacerbated by the social and economic impact of Covid.  May God bless his soul.

Desmond Tutu: Child marriage harms our human family: https://www.ft.com/content/8a197252-a483-11e6-8898-79a99e2a4de6