VOICES
Vocalizing Opposition to Child Marriage in Roma Communities through Empowerment and Support
VOICES is a project co-funded by the European Union under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) and implemented by Associazione 21 luglio, No Peace Without Justice, SIMM – Italian Society of Migration Medicine, Zona, and ROMAJUST. The project addresses the complex issue of child marriage within Roma communities in Italy and Romania, recognising it as a serious violation of human rights and a form of gender-based violence that disproportionately affects girls and adolescents. In contexts marked by deprivation, structural marginalisation, discrimination, and limited access to services, this practice is closely linked to gender inequality, poverty, and social exclusion, reinforcing cycles of gender-based violence and control over girls’ lives.
The initiative is therefore set in a context marked by long-standing marginalisation and persistent challenges for some Roma communities living in housing emergency conditions in the city of Rome and in five districts in Romania. The project is based on the awareness that child marriage cannot be addressed as a simply social or cultural issue, but requires an integrated, systemic response that is consistent with international human rights standards.
Acknowledging the severe social, educational, economic, and health-related consequences of child marriage—which compromise the autonomy, health, and life opportunities of the girls involved—the intervention aims to counter and reduce its impact on children and adolescents, particularly within Roma communities that are more exposed to marginalisation and intersectional discrimination. The project adopts a transnational, multidisciplinary, and human rights-based approach, engaging actors from the legal, educational, health, and social sectors, with the objective of promoting structural and sustainable change and strengthening mechanisms for the prevention of gender-based violence.
The project’s objectives include raising awareness of the risks and consequences of child marriage, strengthening coordination among relevant stakeholders, promoting improvements in public policies and regulatory frameworks, and fostering a non-stereotypical and non-discriminatory understanding of the phenomenon at national and European levels. Planned activities include targeted awareness-raising campaigns, educational pathways, community outreach initiatives, and legal advocacy actions. These activities are designed and implemented through a gender mainstreaming approach, which systematically integrates the analysis of gender inequalities across all phases of the intervention. The actions aim to strengthen the empowerment of Roma girls and women, while also engaging community leaders and other key actors across institutional, social, and educational sectors in a dialogue aimed at creating protective, inclusive, and rights-respecting environments.
Through these actions, VOICES aims to contribute to the full protection of the rights of Roma girls and to improving their quality of life, by challenging mechanisms that normalise gender-based violence and control over girls’ bodies and self-determination. By integrating interventions at local, national, and transnational levels, the project also seeks to develop replicable models for the prevention of and response to child marriage, in line with European objectives on gender equality, child protection, and social inclusion.