Child marriage has steadily decreased over the past 10 years.
However, a number of crises, including war, climatic shocks, and the continuing effects of Covid-19, pose a threat to undo the progress that has been made, according to a new analysis released by Unicef earlier this month.
According to Unicef executive director Catherine Russell, the world is beset by crises on top of crises that are shattering the hopes and dreams of vulnerable children, especially girls who should be studying instead of getting married.
Families are being compelled to turn to child marriage as a phony kind of safety due to health and economic difficulties, growing violent conflicts, and the devastating effects of climate change. Russell says we need to do everything in our power to secure their rights to an education and empowered lives.
According to the most recent global estimate taken into account in the investigation, 12 million females worldwide who are now alive were married as children, or an estimated 640 million girls and women.
Since the most recent statistics were made public five years ago, the percentage of young women who married as children has decreased from 21% to 19%. Despite this development, it would still take 20 times more rapid worldwide reductions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of abolishing child marriage by 2030.
At its current rate, Sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for 20% of child brides worldwide, will need more than 200 years to put a stop to the practice. Contrary to predictions for the rest of the globe, rapid population growth and recurrent crises appear to be driving an increase in child brides.
In terms of girl child marriages, Niger leads the world. More than three-fourths of girls under the age of 18 in this West African nation were married as of the most current data, with about 30% of them being under the age of 15, according to Statista.
Latin America and the Caribbean is on track to have the second-highest regional rate of child marriage by 2030. The Middle East and North Africa, as well as Eastern Europe and Central Asia, have also stalled after periods of consistent advancement.
The paper highlights that South Asia has been leading the way in reducing child marriage globally and will probably end it in about 55 years. However, nearly half (45%) of all child brides worldwide still reside in this region. Even while India has made great strides, it still makes up one-third of the world’s population.
Young girls who get married have immediate and long-lasting repercussions. They are less likely to finish school, and they run a higher chance of getting pregnant early, which raises the possibility of issues with child and mother health as well as mortality. In addition to isolating girls from their families and friends and preventing them from engaging in their communities, the practice can have a negative impact on the mental health and general well-being of the girls.
Conflict, natural disasters brought on by climate change, and Covid-19’s lingering effects of rising poverty, income shocks, and school drop-out, all contribute to the global rise in child marriage.
At the same time, it is becoming more challenging for girls to access the health care, education, social services, and community support they need to avoid child marriage.
The report notes that as a result, girls living in vulnerable environments are twice as likely to become child brides as the average girl worldwide.
The number of child marriages rises by 7% for every ten-fold increase in mortality from armed conflict. Extreme weather conditions brought on by climate change also raise a girl’s risk; for every 10% variation in rainfall, the prevalence of child marriage rises by about 1%.
The report cautions that the ongoing effects of Covid-19 are endangering or even reversing the significant progress made in the last 10 years to end child marriage.
We have shown that change is possible in the fight to end child marriage. Russell said vulnerable girls and families need unwavering support. We must prioritise ensuring that girls have access to education and employment possibilities.