It’ll take 300 years to wipe out child marriage at the current pace of progress

At the current pace of progress, it will take 300 years to eliminate child marriage worldwide, according to a UNICEF report.

Slow Progress: The percentage of women aged 20-24 married in childhood decreased from 23% to 19% in the past decade, but 12 million girls are married before the age of 18 every year.
* The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals originally targeted 2030 to end child marriage.
* Progress has been hindered by armed conflicts, climate-change-related disasters, and economic and social changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Success Stories: Countries like Ethiopia and Rwanda have significantly reduced child marriage rates due to common factors, including poverty reduction, girls’ access to secondary education, and employment opportunities for women.
* South Asia, which still contains 45% of child brides worldwide, has seen the most reduction in child marriages.

Lasting Consequences: Child marriage perpetuates poverty and has severe health consequences for girls, women, and their children.
* Child marriages lead to decreased access to education and healthcare, and increased risk of physical and mental health issues, intimate partner violence, and sexually transmitted infections.
* Ending child marriage would result in better economic and health outcomes for individuals, families, and communities.

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This summary was created by an AI system.

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