Raising the minimum age to 18, Colombia just voted to outlaw child marriage
Though it must still be signed into law by its president, Colombia just voted to change a law that allowed minors as young as 14 to get married with parental consent.
The new law would raise the minimum age to marry to 18 years old — outlawing child marriage in the country. Colombia follows Sierra Leone, which also banned child marriage earlier this year.
The law was initially proposed in 2023 using the slogan, “They’re girls, not wives” and aims to help prevent young girls from missing out on educational and development opportunities, and from being subject to violence.
Why is this good news? Though the number of child marriages has dropped globally over the past few years, child marriage is still a relatively widespread practice worldwide, impacting around 12 million girls per year. This new law could help those numbers decline even further.
Our sponsors help keep the Goodnewsletter free — thank you for supporting them when you can!
A “smart” investment for your home, your wallet, and the planet
Joining the ranks of Ring and Nest, the next groundbreaking smart home innovation has arrived — and you can invest in it before it becomes another household name.
As more buildings are required to reach net-zero emissions, people need simple, smart ways to decrease their energy consumption. RYSE’s smart shade window tech works with existing blinds to reduce energy costs — automatically lowering shades to block direct sunlight, and opening them during overcast or bright weather.
And with 92% of window shades still requiring manual control — there's a massive untapped market. For a limited time, RYSE’s pre-IPO investment offering is open to the public. Their share price has already grown 40% from last year, so don't wait to take part in this exclusive public offering.
Okay, we did this one other time (years ago). Giving away the Goodnewspaper for free is super rare. We know a lot of people need more good news right now — it’s our gift, our way of helping.
And if you think you get enough good news in the Goodnewsletter, we’ll be honest — you’re missing out.
The Goodnewspaper is beautifully designed, comes with an inspiring poster inside, and is filled with stories that will leave you feeling even more hopeful and ready to do some good in the world. You and the world need it.
If you’ve ever been curious about the Goodnewspaper — or even wondered what it would be like to read “old-school” print news for a change — this is the time to get it.
Seriously, there’s no downside — you can even get your free issue and immediately cancel your subscription. Totally fine — it’s our gift! If you do stick around, you’ll be supporting our work to fill the world with more good news (at a time when people really need it). See... only upsides!
Looking for the Helpers
Photo: Courtesy of Jyoti Bhatnagar
After her dad was diagnosed with cancer, a teen started a nonprofit to give books to children battling cancer
When Emily Bhatnagar discovered her dad had stage 4 thyroid cancer, she found comfort in her favorite thing: reading.
To honor her dad, she decided to make a difference for others who were going through a dark, challenging time. She launched a neighborhood book drive to collect books to give to children battling cancer — hoping to give them the same comfort reading gave her.
In the years since, Bhatnagar’s efforts have grown into a nonprofit, For Love and Buttercup. It’s provided more than 15,000 books to DC-area hospitals for children undergoing all kinds of medical treatments.