The Zonta Clubs of Bern and Bern Ursa in Switzerland, District 28, joined to spread awareness of child marriage.

Members of the clubs participated in a road action called “Bound Bride” and handed out flyers containing information about child marriage and forced marriage.

They also collected approximately 500 signatures on a petition titled, “Child marriage and forced marriage offend against human rights and are unacceptable types of violence.” The clubs turned the petition into Simonetta Sommaruga, the Swiss justice minister, along with a letter containing the expectation that Switzerland realizes the Istanbul Convention and closes gaps where applicable.

The minimum age to get married in Switzerland is 18, but there is a practice called “outplacement,” in which families send girls to foreign countries to get married.