Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Child brides are more likely to be poor and to stay poor

Girls from poor families are two and a half times more likely to marry before 18 than girls from wealthier families.

Child marriage keeps girls poor by depriving them of opportunities, education and access to paid employment.

When girls have access to economic opportunities, they can plan a more prosperous future for themselves, their families and their communities!

More about child marriage and poverty. 

Child brides and their children are more likely to be malnourished

Families with little food may marry their daughters in order to have one mouth less to feed.

Child brides usually suffer higher rates of malnutrition, due to early and frequent pregnancies.

Babies born to girls younger than 15 are more likely to die before their 5^th birthday, suffer from malnutrition and experience stunting.

Child marriage threatens girls’ health and that of their children

Child brides are under a lot of pressure to have children. Early pregnancy puts their health at risk: every year, 70,000 adolescent girls in developing countries die of causes related to pregnancy and child birth.

Child marriage can lead to poor mental health, including feelings of isolation, depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviours.

Ending child marriage will improve girls’ health and wellbeing throughout their lives! More about child marriage and health.

Child marriage usually marks the end of a girl’s education

Marriage limits a girl’s ability to go to school, learn new skills and put the ones she has to use.

Being out of school puts girls at risk. Girls with no education are three times more likely to marry before 18 compared to girls with a secondary or higher education.

Education is one of the most powerful tools to end child marriage and help girls succeed in life! More about child marriage and education. 

Child marriage keeps us from achieving gender equality

Child marriage is rooted in inequality between men and women and discriminatory views towards a girl’s value, sexuality and role in society.

Ending child marriage is a strategic way of tackling gender inequality and shifting the discriminatory norms that perpetuate child marriage.

We need to empower girls so they can choose if, when and whom they marry! 

Child brides are less likely to lead prosperous lives

Child brides are less likely to participate in the workforce once they become adults. When they do, it’s usually in lower skilled and lower paid jobs.

When girls have the skills and opportunities to secure a job, they can support themselves and their families and break the cycle of poverty.

Child marriage is costing countries trillions of dollars through its impact on fertility, population growth, earnings and child health, according to the World Bank and ICRW.

Child marriage affects the most vulnerable populations

Child marriage disproportionately affects poor, rural and disadvantaged girls, creating cycles of poverty that reinforce inequalities.

Child brides have little decision-making power in their homes or communities and are less likely to participate fully in society. They are often marginalised and hard to reach.

Leaving no one behind means targeting married girls and girls at risk of child marriage.

We will not end violence against children without ending child marriage.

Child marriage is a form of violence against girls and a violation of their most fundamental human rights.

Child brides often face violence at the hands of their partners or their in-laws, especially if there is a large age difference.

The violence of forced sexual initiation and early pregnancy have a lasting impact on married girls’ physical and mental health throughout their life.

Ending violence against children needs to go hand in hand with ending child marriage. More about child marriage and violence against girls.