Did you know that 15 million girls marry before the age of 18 each year? That's the equivalent of one every 2 seconds. Of the world's 1.1 billion girls, 22 million are already married. Hundreds of millions are more at risk, and the number will only grow as populations increase. It is estimated that more than 140 million girls will become child brides by 2020. In every region, the poor are most at risk of child marriage.
Unless progress is accelerated, the global number of child brides will remain at least as high as it is today. If progress is accelerated, there will be 1 in 10 child brides in the world in 2050 compared to 1 in 4 today.
Why do girls get married as children?
- The older girls get, the higher their dowry will be for their parents
- Girls marry early because their families believe this protects girls from sexual violence
- Laws that protect girls are NOT enforced
- Inequalities between girls vs. boys (although I recently learned that in certain countries, boys marry as young as 5 years old in Nepal)
Child marriage is a violation of children's rights. It continues to rob the childhood of millions of girls around the world, despite being prohibited by international law. It forces them out of education and opportunities to follow their dreams, and into life of poor prospects, with increased risk of violence, abuse, ill health or early death. If a mother is under the age of 18, her infant's risk of dying in its first year of life is 60% greater than that of an infant from to a mother older than 19. Even if the child survives, he or she is more than likely to suffer from low birth weight, face challenges around nutrition and late physical and cognitive development.
Ending child marriage will help break the intergenerational cycle of poverty by allowing girls to participate more fully in society. Empowered and educated girls are better able to care for their children, leading to healthier, smaller families.
Getting involved:
- Increase the awareness of children's rights
- Support girls to get an education and earn their own income
- Increase access to sexual and reproductive health services
- Demand that governments keep the age of legal marriage to 18 years
- Enforce laws that protect children
Please sign below in asking Michelle Obama to support an Adolescent Girl Strategy in the fight against child marriage.