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Child marriage - Coggle Diagram
Child marriage
The link between child marriage and education
When girls are married early, it can have a major impact on their ability to get an education.
Many girls who become brides are taken out of school and have very little prospect of completing their education.
Addressing child marriage as part of working towards universal education and protection of girls and women is essential.
If we do not accelerate efforts to protect girls, by 2030 there will be 850 million girls and women who have been affected by child marriage.
The work that children can be forced to do might also be illegal - such as working with drug gangs or in prostitution.
Many children may get no money for the work they do but they will get food and a place to sleep.
All these forms of child labour can prevent a child from going to school and limit their opportunity to fulfil their potential.
Lack of access to education keeps the cycle of exploitation, illiteracy and poverty going – limiting future options and forcing children to accept low-wage work as adults and to raise their own children in poverty.
Children who have access to education can break the cycle of poverty at the root of child labour.
Progress made - but more urgent action is needed
Worldwide, the percentage of girls married under 15 has dropped from 12% to 8% in the past three decades.
This has been helped by supporting communities to discuss the issue and set up child marriage-free zones, pressuring governments to adopt and enforce 18 as the minimum legal age of marriage and to protect children as minors.
Increased access to education for girls has also been a contributing factor in lowering the child marriage rates.
Global advocacy has resulted in a change in the law in countries with high rates of child marriage, such as Malawi.
In Ethiopia, the child marriage rate has fallen by more than 20 % as levels of educational attainment have also improved.
There were some breakthrough moments in 2017.
A summit on child marriage in West and Central Africa saw commitments from many countries to end child marriage.
A landmark court ruling in India means that sex with a bride under 18 is rape.
A legal loophole allowing men to marry underage girls they had made pregnant girls was closed in El Salvador.
While there has been some progress, the issue is a long way from being resolved and needs a sustained effort on several fronts in order for things to change.
Continued efforts on several fronts is important to improve the situation.
The reasons for child and early forced marriage
Poverty
Conflicts and emergencies
Gender inequality and cultural norms
What happens when girls marry too young?
Many child brides do not return to school after marriage due to tuition and other fees, lack of childcare and the inflexibility of schools.
Child marriage often means early and frequent pregnancies, which lead to school dropouts or girls being excluded.
Having babies too young causes serious health issues.
Pregnancy and childbirth complications are among the leading causes of death in girls aged 15 to 19 in low- and middle-income countries.
Approximately 70,000 girls die in labour every year.
Some child brides are as young as eight or nine.
Each time a girl misses out on her education because she is forced into marriage, her family and country miss out on her potential contributions, economic and social.
What’s the legal situation?
Laws setting a minimum age of marriage are an important way to safeguard children from being married before they are ready.
Child or early forced marriage is a human rights violation and is not in line with several international agreements.
clear and consistent legislation that establishes 18 as the minimum age of marriage helps to protect girls from being forced into marriage.
However, in many parts of the world that have this legislation, there are exceptions where parental consent, the authorisation of the court, or religious laws allow marriage below the age of 18.
A summary of the issue of child marriage (or early forced marriage)
Every year, millions of girls around the world become brides before the age of 18.
It is also known as early forced marriage.Girls who are required to enter into marriage at an early age are at greater risk of domestic violence and abuse.
The extent of child marriage
An average of 40,000 children and young women under the age of 18 are married every day.
More than 60% of child brides in developing countries have no formal education.
Today, there are more than 700 million women alive who were married before their 18th birthday.
What would change if all girls had a secondary education?
The under-five mortality rate would fall by 49%, saving around 2.8 million lives
Girls would have an average of 3.9 children, compared to 6.7 had by those with no education
Girls would better understand sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV/AIDS, and that they have the right to refuse sex or request condom use
There would be 64% fewer marriages and 59% fewer girls would become pregnant
Where does child marriage happen?
Child marriage is a truly global problem that cuts across countries, cultures, religions and ethnicities.
The highest rates of child marriage are found in Niger (76%), Central African Republic (68%), Chad (68%), Mali (55%) and Bangladesh (52%).
The countries with the highest numbers of child marriage are India, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Brazil and Ethiopia.
What can be done to combat child marriage?
As child marriage and lack of secondary education are so closely linked, increasing opportunities for education is key to reducing levels of child marriage.
Continued work to empower girls and women, to mobilise families and communities to make change, provision of health, education and child protection services, and establishment of a legal and policy framework to protect girls is essential.