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VOW for Girls’ campaign for International Day of the Girl says it is time to “Stop the Clock” and end child marriage. This year’s campaign theme is a powerful response to the statistic that reveals that a child becomes a bride every three seconds – that’s 12 million girls every year.
Julia Haart and Angelique Cabral took social media to share their responses to the crisis to raise awareness. The stars show that when girls have the freedom to dream, they can decide their futures, including when it comes to marriage.
Julia Haart, a former member of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community and known for her Netflix hit show “My Unorthodox Life,” shared a post detailing how she, her sisters, and her oldest daughter had to marry as teenagers. “When I was 6, I wanted to be a female detective. I was obsessed with Trixie Belden and Pippi Longstocking,” Haat begin. “Trixie was a brilliant kid detective, and Pippi was an extraordinarily, miraculously strong girl who lived on her own with a pet monkey and a horse. I thought she was the most incredible thing ever… I wanted to be like that. I wanted to be strong, independent, travel the world, and solve mysteries.”
“By the time I was 9, I decided I wanted to work for a spy agency like the CIA or the FBI,” she continued. “By the time I was bat mitzvahed and 12, all my focus was on getting a good husband and finding the right match so I could make God proud of me. My sisters, my daughter, and I were all married off as teenagers… so this hits very close to home.”
Cabral, also took the opportunity to shed light on the importance of protecting our girls. “What did you want to be when you were 7, 8, 9 years old…? Do you remember?” the star asks. “I wanted to be an actress, that was my dream, & my dreams were protected & nurtured; but not all little girls are so lucky.”
To raise funds for programs that provide critical resources to girls at risk of child marriage, every like, comment, and share of VOW’s social content from October 4-11 will unlock $1 from the sponsors (luxury wedding designer Justin Alexander, wedding industry leader The Knot, and a generous private donor) to help start a new future for girls everywhere, up to $100,000. 100% of all donations go directly to grassroots efforts to end child marriage.
“For every like, comment, and share of this post, you will unlock $1 from @justinalexander , @theknot , and a generous donor (up to $100K) to help start a new future for girls everywhere. So please like & share to help this very important cause 🙏🏽♥️🙌🏽👊🏽💪🏽👏🏽 #VOWForGirls#InternationalDayoftheGirl@vowforgirls,” Cabral added.
Other celebrities supporting VOW‘s campaign include Shay Mitchell, Shiri Appleby, Freida Pinto, Bella Heathcote, Victoria Beckham, Helena Christiensen, Annie Lennox, and Trudie Styler.
VOW for Girls is a growing global movement that partners with brands, individuals, and the wedding industry to end the international child marriage crisis. All of the money raised by VOW is invested in underfunded but effective local efforts that advance girls‘ rights by providing education, job training, and vital life skills. Women lead 85% percent of the grantee organizations. To date, grants have supported 175+ community-based organizations, and this work has directly impacted an estimated 260,000 girls.