Child marriage
- Jan 18, 2021
- 2 min read
Despite laws against child marriage, child marriage still remains a widespread practice around the world. Many factors often lead to child marriages, including poverty, social norms, family honor, and religious laws. Although girls are more likely to get married underage, the practice is a human rights violation in spite of gender.
The effects of child marriage:
Girls who marry before the age of 18 are less likely to remain in school and more likely to become victims of domestic violence (1).
Girls who marry young are more likely to be poor and remain poor. Child marriage increases the likelihood of poverty and reduces the future earnings of child brides by 9% (2).
Child marriage has many negative impacts on girls’ health: increased risk for STDs, cervical cancer, malaria, death during childbirth, and obstetric fistulas (3).
Young teenage girls are at a higher risk of maternal deaths than women in their 20s, and their children are more likely to be stillborn or die in the first month of life (1).
Its prevalence
Girls are the primary victims of child marriage: 21% of girls worldwide were married before they turn 18.
Every year, 12 million girls are married under the age of 18.
650 million girls and women alive today were married underage (1).
Where child marriage happens the most:
Data via unicef.org
Progress is possible, and urgently needed.
Data via unicef.org
If progress is not made, more than 120 million more underage girls will be married by 2030. It is imperative that we take immediate action to end this gruesome violation of human rights that threatens the wellbeing and future of millions of girls around the world.
What you can do:
“If a girl of my age gets married, it’s not good. I have a different perspective from many. Going to school doesn’t spoil a girl – quite the contrary.”
Aydoudate Abdoulaye, 15, Mali
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