Nicolle Flint (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I commend the member for Newcastle for presenting this motion today to recognise the International Day of the Girl Child, to inspire worldwide enthusiasm for goals to better girls' lives, providing an opportunity for them to show leadership and reach their full potential. We know we often do not have information on what is happening to women and girls. On many issues we lack agreed and resourced data collection and methodologies. Better data, as we know, always allows decision makers like us to set goals, develop policy and make a real difference for girls.

The Australian government has provided a total of $180,000 to the Australian Bureau of Statistics to build the evidence base for gender indicators for culturally and linguistically diverse women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and those women with a disability. Australia's decision to invest in helping to meet this critical need reflects the importance our government places on achieving real progress on gender equality and women's empowerment. We want to be part of a coordinated international and cooperative effort to move us forward in this agenda.

Last month, I believe, we announced a $6.5 million investment in the United Nations Making Every Woman and Girl Count program, which is a public-private partnership aimed at closing the gender data gap. As I said, we know this is critical to help decision makers like us do our job and do our best in a public policy sense, which will then also help to progress gender equality.

I would like to mention the motion that I just moved in the main chamber on domestic violence, which is another issue that affects women everywhere in the world every day and on which Australia can provide a leadership role. The motion recognised the importance of changing the national culture to make disrespecting women 'un-Australian'. It acknowledged the Turnbull government's $100 million women's safety package, which was launched last September, to combat domestic violence. It encouraged the ongoing efforts within COAG to ensure that all levels of government and the broader community are cooperating on this shared national endeavour. It recorded concerns about the use of new technology to encourage or allow domestic violence against women and it encouraged governments to consider addressing this as part of their overall strategy to do what they can to protect women and children.

Australia is, and will continue to be, a strong and committed advocate for gender equality, for girls' empowerment and the advancement of girls nationally. We want to get to a place where girls around the world have access to the sorts of opportunities that my sister and I did when growing up, whether that is in health, in education or, just as importantly, in not being forced into marriage against their will, certainly when they are underage.

The United Nations facts on underage and forced marriage are incredibly concerning. Globally, one in seven adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 are currently married or in a union. In developing countries, excluding China, one in every three girls is married before reaching the age of 18. This means the futures of 47,700 girls are derailed every day. Girls who are married early often face a cascade of other human rights abuses. They are more vulnerable to physical and sexual violence. They are often pulled out of school to take on domestic responsibilities and thus are less able to advocate for themselves and their rights. Child marriage is often followed by pregnancy, even if girls are not physically or mentally ready. Across the globe, rates of child marriage are highest in sub-Saharan Africa, where around four in 10 girls marry before the age of 18.

I conclude by recommending a book that provides, to my mind, one of the best and most thought-provoking summaries of forced and arranged marriages, particularly of young women. The book is Deranged Marriage. It is memoir by Sushi Das. Chapter 8 does an excellent job of outlining the very serious problems that girls around the globe face and that we all need to focus on addressing.

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