Demand an end to child marriage

  • by: KAZ-2Y5
  • recipient: the countries of Niger, Chad, Central African Republic, Bangladesh, Guinea, Mozambique, Mali, Burkina Faso, South Sudan, Malawi, Madagascar , Eritrea, India, Somalia,Sierra Leone, Zambia, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Nepal, Nicaragua, and yemen

To be a happy child. To be part of a family that lives in harmony and domestic peace. To be a parent who has full capacity and knowledge to raise his or her children to have healthy fulfilling lives, free from violence. To be surrounded by a strong and peaceful community.

These are common aspirations of people, in all countries. But when children marry as children, and when they have children while they are still children these aspirations become difficult to attain.

In the worst of cases, a girl who becomes pregnant when her body is not yet ready may die in childbirth. Her baby may also not survive: a double tragedy. And there are many other negative effects that may go unnoticed. Girls that marry as children will most likely not go to school. Their future will be short-changed as will the future of their communities. Girls may be subjected to violence or abuse, including unwanted sexual relations, and not be able to defend themselves. They may suffer from isolation or depression. Children born to child mothers may not receive adequate care and nurturing. Currently, there are 720 million women and 156 million men who were married before their 18th birthday. Of these, approximately 250 million girls married before they reached age 15. If current trends of the prevalence of child marriage and of demographic growth continue, in the next 30 years there will essentially be no decrease in the number women and men who marry as children.

The problem seems somewhat overwhelming, especially given that in nine countries the majority of girls are marrying as children, but also in view of a dozen additional countries where prevalence rates of child marriage exceed 40%. But we do have reason for some optimism.

From South Asia to Africa, which have the countries where child marriage is most practiced, more and more families and communities are delaying marriage and enhancing opportunities for girls. A growing number of civil society organizations, national governments and development partners are supporting their efforts and creating better conditions to end the practice.

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