The scale of child marriage is huge: according to UNICEF, 700 million women alive today were married before the age of 18, and up to 280 million girls are currently at risk of becoming child brides. But if we act to prevent child marriage now, we could dramatically improve the maternal and child health outcomes for millions of girls and women. As the family planning community convenes in
Indonesia for the International Conference on Family Planning (ICPF), we outline 5 reasons why ending child marriage should be a vital part of efforts to improve the health of girls and women worldwide.
Child brides often become mothers at an early age. Soon after marriage, they face pressure from their husband and in-laws, their family and the wider community, to prove their fertility.
In fact, pregnancy during adolescence is intrinsically linked to child marriage: 90% of adolescent pregnancies in the developing world are to girls who are already married.
When girls bear children while they are still children themselves, their lives are put at risk. Complications in pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death in girls aged 15-19 in
low- and middle-income countries. Girls who give birth between the ages of 15 and 19 are much more likely to die in childbirth than girls in their early 20s. Those under the age of 15 are at even greater risk.
