UNICEF: Progress in eliminating child marriage is fragile

According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), progress in eliminating child marriage is currently fragile. Illustration photo: Shutterstock

In addition, the current "crisis on top of crisis" situation further hinders efforts to reverse this trend.

Ms. Claudia Cappa, the lead author of the UNICEF report released on May 2, emphasized that efforts to eliminate child marriage have made progress, especially in the past 10 years, but it is still not enough.

According to UNICEF estimates, about 640 million girls and young women are married before the age of 18. On average, about 12 million girls become brides while still in school each year. The rate of increase in such child marriages has slowed over the past 25 years.

Specifically, in 1997, about 25% of girls aged 20-24 were married before the age of 18. By 2012, this number had dropped to 23%, and then to 19% by 2022. However, if the rate of child marriage decreases at the current rate, about 9 million girls will be married early in 2030.

Ms Cappa warned that progress was not enough and that at the current rate, it could take another 300 years to eliminate child marriage, with the vast majority of cases involving girls aged 12 to 17. UNICEF is also monitoring the situation in sub-Saharan Africa, where girls are most at risk of child marriage in the world, with more than 33% married before the age of 18. The report predicted that the number of child brides there will increase by 10% by 2030.

UNICEF has expressed concern that progress in eliminating child marriage is fragile and even “in jeopardy”. The UN agency stressed that the Covid-19 pandemic is far from over, and that global conflicts and the growing impacts of climate change could reverse hard-won gains.

Such crises can lead families to choose early marriage as a safety measure. UNICEF estimates that Covid-19 alone could lead to 10 million child marriages between 2020 and 2030.

UNICEF Director Catherine Russell said the world was engulfed in "crisis upon crisis" that was crushing the hopes and dreams of vulnerable children, especially girls who should be in school instead of being forced into early marriage.

The UNICEF report notes that although child marriage is a violation of children’s rights, families often see it as a way to protect girls, providing financial, social or even physical security. Many parents also see it as a way to remove a dependent.

According to VNA