Child marriage is a human rights violation that robs girls of their rights to health, to live in security, and to choose if, when and whom to marry.
It is a harmful practice, which severely affects the rights of a child and further deprives the child from attaining other aspirations like education.
Every year, about 14 million adolescent and teen girls are married, almost always forced into the arrangement by their parents.
Although the proportion of child brides has generally decreased over the last 30 years, in some regions child marriage remains the order of the day, even among the youngest generations, particularly in rural areas and among the poorest.
Among young women worldwide aged 20-24, around 1 in 3 (or 70 million) was married as children and around 1 in 9 (or 23 million) entered into marriage or union before they reached age 15.
Sadly, the largest numbers of child brides are concentrated in Africa. Child marriage is deeply rooted in gender inequality (gender based violence and gender discrimination), poverty, tradition and culture. The practice is most common in rural areas, where prospects for girls can be limited.
In an effort to provide a bright future for millions of women and girls, the AU together with a range of partners launched the African Union Campaign to End Child Marriage in Africa on 29 May 2014.
Girls and women have the right to live free from violence and discrimination and achieve their potential but they are prevented due to being forced into child marriage.
This harmful practice has devastating effects on the girl-child and the society. One of the leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity for girls age 15 to 19 is pregnancy and childbirth because their bodies are not ready.
More awareness needs to be created particularly at the grassroots to highlight the dangers of encouraging child brides.
We all have the responsibility to raise our voices in order to put an end to child marriage.
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