Child marriage, defined as a formal marriage or informal union before the age of 18, is a fundamental violation of human rights. It occurs among both boys and girls, though the prevalence is about five times higher among girls – reflecting societal values that hold girls in low esteem and deprive them of the agency to chart their own course in life. It often compromises a girl’s healthy transition to adulthood by resulting in early pregnancy, social isolation, interruption of education, limited socio-economic opportunities and increased risk of domestic violence. Moreover, adolescent girls are often married to older men, creating a power dynamic that further disempowers girls and exposes them to greater risks of violence, sexually transmitted diseases and a lack of agency.
Around the world, the practice of child marriage has continued to decline. During the past decade, the proportion of women who were married as children decreased by 15 per cent, from one in four to approximately one in five. And progress has been accelerating: of the 25 million child marriages prevented due to progress in the past ten years, 7 million were expected based on prior trends, while 18 million were due to an acceleration of progress. Nonetheless, many girls remain at risk, particularly girls from poor households and those living in rural areas. Ending the practice is critical to achieving Sustainable Development Goal Target 5.3 on the elimination of all harmful practices, but if current trends continue, between now and 2030 150 million more girls will marry before their 18th birthday.
Child marriage is most common in sub-Saharan Africa, where around 4 in 10 young women were married before age 18, followed by South Asia, where 3 in 10 were married before age 18. South Asia has witnessed the largest decline in child marriage worldwide in the last 10 years, as a girl’s risk of marrying before her 18th birthday has dropped by more than a third, from nearly 50 per cent to 30 per cent, in large part due to progress in India.
For more information about child marriage, click here.
1 in 3 girls aged 15-19 have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM).
Female genital mutilation (FGM), a grave violation of women’s and girls’ rights and dignity, refers to all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.[1] The international community has codified its commitment to eliminating the practice by 2030 under Target 5.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals.
While the exact number of girls and women worldwide who have undergone FGM remains unknown, at least 200 million girls and women have been cut in 30 countries with representative data on prevalence. The practice of FGM appears highly concentrated in a swath of countries from the Atlantic coast to the Horn of Africa, in areas of the Middle East such as Iraq and Yemen and in some countries in Asia such as Indonesia, with wide variations in prevalence. The practice is almost universal in Somalia, Guinea and Djibouti, with levels around 90 per cent, while it affects only 1 per cent of girls and women in Cameroon and Uganda. However, evidence suggests that FGM exists worldwide as practitioners migrate to other countries. Attitudes towards the practice vary, though the majority of girls and women in countries with data think the practice should end.
For more information about FGM/C and to access the data, click here.
The most common form of violence against women, intimate partner violence includes any physical, sexual or emotional abuse perpetrated by a current or former partner within the context of marriage, cohabitation or any other formal or informal union. Though both sexes can be victims of intimate partner violence, women and adolescent girls are at greater risk for many reasons, including gender norms that justify partner violence against women and girls as a form of punishment or as a normal and acceptable way to resolve conflict.
The social acceptability of intimate partner violence is reflected in attitudes about wife beating. Nearly 1 in 2 women and adolescent girls in the least developed countries believe that a husband is justified in beating his wife for a range of reasons. Acceptance of wife beating among adolescent girls and boys suggests that it can be difficult for married girls who experience violence to seek assistance, whether formally or informally, and for unmarried girls to identify and negotiate healthy and equitable relationships.
Percentage of girls and women and boys and men aged 15 to 19 years who think that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife or partner under certain circumstances (i.e. if his wife burns the food, argues with him, goes out without telling him, neglects the child), by region.
For more information about intimate partner violence, click here.
