On This International Day of the Girl, 20,000 Underage Girls Will Marry Illegally Karen McVeigh - The Guardian
go to original October 11, 2017

Freedom - International Day of the Girl (The Global Goals)

Every day, around the world, more than 20,000 children are getting married, underage and illegally.

New statistics show that in countries where there are laws restricting the practice, 7.5 million girls every year are married below the minimum age permitted, according to analysis by the World Bank and Save the Children.

One in every three girls in the developing world marry before the age of 18.

Child brides often drop out of school, due to domestic responsibilities, pregnancy, parenting and social pressure and some governments, such as Tanzania, prevent married or pregnant girls from attending school.

The past two years have brought some progress. Of the 112 countries examined in the study, a total of 10 – including Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico and Zimbabwe – have altered their child marriage laws, either by raising the legal age of marriage or eliminating legal exceptions to the practice, such as parental or court consent.

Two-thirds of underage marriages are taking place in countries where it is legally banned, suggesting laws are not enforced. In some countries, the minimum age for marriage is lower under religious or customary law than national law, which undermines legal protection.



The study, to mark International Day of the Girl, calls for urgent action at national and international level.

Read the rest at The Guardian

Related: To This Day, Women in Chiapas Cannot Choose Who to Marry; They Face Violence and Discrimination on a Daily Basis (El Universal)

Related: Globally Girls Struggle for Rights: Child Marriage, Limited Education Access Are Key Barriers (Human Rights Watch)

Related: 11 Quotes That Remind Us Girls Are Unstoppable (Global Fund for Women)

Related: The United Nations Is Urging Mexico to Enforce Laws to Outlaw Child Marriages (Fusion)

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