Quantity child marriage declining worldwide, but at such a slow pace that does not leave hope for the eradication of this violent practice in this centurynotes service United Nations for Children.

In its report, UNICEF welcomed the decline in child marriage but warned that it was contrary to the agency’s goals.disappearance of the phenomenon is not inevitable until 2030..

“The good news is that the number of child marriages is declining worldwide. Over the past ten years, the child marriage rate has dropped from 23% to 19%. However, this is not happening fast enough to meet the goal of ending child marriage by 2030, with more than 12 million girls under the age of 18 getting married each year. So if nothing changes, they’ll need more about 300 years for this practice to be completely eradicated” notes Clauda Capa, the head of the exhibition.

The UN estimates that around 640 million women and girls in the world were married before the age of 18. Every year, 12 million girls under 18 are married.

“Child marriage has different causes in different places, but there are often similarities related to poverty and disability for girls,” explains Kappa. “Gender inequality, stereotypes, weak laws and fear of out-of-wedlock pregnancy also contribute,” she adds.

The report warns that the climate crisis could leave some families with the only alternative – early marriage of their children.

“Health crises, conflicts and natural disasters increase the pressure on girls as they interrupt their education and add a financial burden to households,” says Kappa. “Some families in these difficult situations they mistakenly view marriage as a way to protect their girls financially, socially and physically»

The decline in child marriage in South Asia, which accounts for 45% of the world’s child brides, reflects an improvement in the overall trend. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, one in three girls is married before the age of 18, and child marriage rates are highest in West and Central Africa.

Source: Guardian