World · 22 hrs ago
One in five girls worldwide is married before age 18, UNICEF says
About one in five girls worldwide is married before turning 18, UNICEF says.
Around 650 million women and girls alive today were married as children, and more than 12 million girls are married before 18 each year.
The rate is highest in sub-Saharan Africa, where 31% of girls are affected.
Child marriage can limit girls’ access to education and health care and expose them to violence and lasting harm to their physical and mental health.
UNICEF Italy is using its “Don’t Stay Silent” campaign to promote education that challenges stereotypes and prevent gender-based violence.
UNICEF says investment in girls’ education, legal reforms and social protection helped prevent about 68 million child marriages over the past 25 years.
It calls for keeping girls in school, improving access to health and protection services, and working with families and communities to challenge harmful norms.
About one in five girls worldwide is married before age 18, UNICEF says.
Around 650 million women and girls alive today were married before turning 18.
More than 12 million girls are married before age 18 each year, or about one every three seconds.
The highest rate is in sub-Saharan Africa, at 31%.
UNICEF says early marriage can harm girls’ health and limit their access to education and freedom from violence.
- Who
- Girls worldwide, according to UNICEF.
- What
- About one in five girls is married before age 18.
- When
- The figures describe the current global picture; more than 12 million girls are married each year.
- Where
- Worldwide; the highest rate is in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Why
- UNICEF says early marriage is a violation of girls’ rights that can limit education, health and freedom from violence.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Violence is prevented before it happens: by educating girls and boys, young women and young men to recognize stereotypes, respect the autonomy of others and build relationships based on freedom, consent and reciprocity.
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Global prevalence
- About one in five girls married before age 18
- Women and girls alive today
- About 650 million married before age 18
- Annual marriages
- More than 12 million girls
- Highest regional rate
- 31% in sub-Saharan Africa
- Marriages prevented
- About 68 million over the past 25 years
Sources
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