The Facts on Child Marriage
What is Child Marriage?
“Child marriage” is generally understood to mean marriages that take place before age 18, but for many girls, marriage occurs much earlier. In some countries, girls as young as 7 or 8 are forced by their families to marry much older men.
The reasons girls are married are diverse, and parents sometimes believe that through marriage, they are protecting their daughters and increasing their economic opportunities. However, child marriage exposes girls to increased health problems and violence, denies them access to social networks and support systems, and perpetuates a cycle of poverty and gender inequality.
The Facts:
-
According to the UN, 37,000 girls under the age of 18 are married each day. We now have the greatest number of married girls and girls at-risk of child marriage than ever before
-
1 in 3 girls in the developing world are married before 18; 1 in 9 are married before the age of 15
-
If present trends continue, more than 140 million girls will be married before the age of 18 in the next decade
-
Globally, almost 400 million women now aged 20-49 were married before the age of 18
Consequences of Child Marriage:
-
Child marriage effectively ends a girl’s childhood, curtails her education, minimizes her economic opportunities, increases her risk of domestic violence, and puts her at risk for early, frequent, and very high-risk pregnancies
-
Girls under 15 are five times more likely to die in childbirth than women in their 20s and face higher risk of pregnancy-related injuries, such as obstetric fistula
-
Child brides are often unable to negotiate safer sexual practices and are therefore at a higher risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections
-
The negative consequences of child marriage reach beyond the girls themselves: children of child brides are 60 percent more likely to die in the first year of life than those born to mothers older than 19, and families of child brides are more likely to be poor and unhealthy
Where Does Child Marriage Occur?
Child marriage occurs in every region of the world, and is practiced across cultures, religions, and ethnicities. The highest rates of child marriage by country are observed in Sub-Saharan Africa, in countries such as Niger, the Central African Republic, and Chad. However, the largest number of child brides live in South Asia, where 46 percent of girls are married before the age of 18. Incidents of child marriage have been shown to increase as instability increases, making girls living in conflict or crisis settings particularly vulnerable to the practice.
Why should the U.S. Government Care About Ending Child Marriage?
-
Ending child marriage is the right thing to do. Girls around the world deserve to live full childhoods, go to school, be free of the violence and negative health consequences associated with child marriage, and choose—for themselves and without violence or coercion—when and whom they marry. Not only does child marriage negatively impact the lives of girls themselves, it also directly hinders the accomplishment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which set development priorities for the world. Efforts to end child marriage and advance the health and rights of girls must be at the center of the global development agenda in order to end extreme poverty and ensure human rights for all.
-
-
Ending child marriage is the smart thing to do. Child marriage perpetuates the cycles of poverty, poor health, illiteracy, and violence that have negative impacts on overall development, prosperity, and stability. As the U.S. government continues to invest in development programs around the world, a focus on child marriage could ensure that goals on issues as diverse as education, health, violence, and economic advancement are met for both this and future generations of girls, their families, communities, and countries.
Related Topics
Related News & Articles
There is a new cultural wave afoot in Pakistan because of the much-flaunted China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Recently posted . 987 views . 1 min read
At its heart, child marriage is rooted in gender inequality and the belief that girls and women are somehow inferior to boys and men.
Recently posted . 1K views . 1 min read
Princess Haya, 45, a wife of 70-year-old United Arab Emirates Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, has applied for the order, as well as wardship o...
Recently posted . 659 views . 2 min read
Living happily ever after in a marriage isn’t always so simple and perpetually filled with happiness, as couples have to make an effort for their relationship...
Recently posted . 805 views . 5 min read
Divorce. It happens for tough reasons and it is one of the toughest things many people will go through. And really, choosing to share your life with someone is, i...
Recently posted . 1K views . 2 min read
Trending News & Articles
ALMATY: Hour upon hour, day upon day, Omir Bekali and other detainees in far western China's new indoctrination camps had to disavow the...
Recently posted . 202K views . 1 min read
If you have payed attention to the belly buttons of people on the beach or the members of your family, you have probably noticed that they have different shapes and...
Recently posted . 9K views . 2 min read
In this age of terror, there might be nothing more terrifying than the thought of an attack carried out with chemical weapons. We’ve all heard the horrific ...
Recently posted . 4K views . 4 min read
Body fitness is one thing that everyone wants to maintain irrespective of age. Going to the gym and doing some great exercise always helps to maintain your body fit...
Recently posted . 4K views . 2 min read
More in Global
Consistency assists existence with seeming to be OK, a significant part in viewing as importa
Recently posted. 1K views . 0 min read
Astronauts on the moon or Mars may be growing their homes, rather than building them, according to NASA.
Recently posted. 743 views . 0 min read
Climate change has a significant role to play in the sudden appearance and subsequent rise in population of several different insects over the last decade.
Recently posted. 606 views . 1 min read
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 976 views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 2K views . 52 min read
Recently posted . 2K views . 99 min read
Ever since cryptocurrencies started gaining value, hackers have targeted exchanges that provide digital asset trading and malicious entities have siphoned billion...
Recently posted. 752 views . 2 min read
Headley has been sentenced to 35 years in prison by a US court for the 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai that killed more than 160 people.
Recently posted. 859 views . 0 min read