NEW YORK: The number of child marriages has declined considerably across the world, according to UNICEF.
25 million child marriages have been prevented in the last 10 years as one in five girls were married before the age of 18, as compared to one in four. The biggest decline comes in South Asia region.
“When a girl is forced to marry as a child she faces immediate and lifelong consequences. Her odds of finishing school decrease while her odds of being abused by her husband and suffering complications during pregnancy increase. There are also huge societal consequences and a higher risk of intergenerational cycles of poverty,” said UNICEF’s Gender Adviser Anju Malhotra.
Sub-saharan Africa now tops the list of the regions where the problem is most prevalent. Nevertheless, there has still been a decline in child marriages in the region as well.
“Any reduction is welcome news – but we’ve got a long way to go,” the adviser added.
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) envision a world free of child marriages by 2030.
