Ending Child marriage
More than 650 million women alive today were married before the age of 18. In 2016, an estimated 5.6 million girls under the age of 18 became child brides.
Child marriage compromises a child’s development and severely limits her or his opportunities in life. We believe that the legal age of marriage should be set at 18 or above in every country - for both girls and boys. We work with local authorities to implement existing laws and we empower girls and boys to report cases and take action to prevent forced marriages of their peers. A global effort has prevented about 25 million child marriages over the past 10 years. However, much more needs to be done
Supported, by Irish Aid, our Humanitarian Programme Plan improves children’s access to education and promotes children’s rights, protecting them from child marriage. Our Maternal and Child Health Programme has been engaging with faith leaders to create greater community awareness of child protection and the prevention of early marriage. The programme has also been working closely with local partners to increase community awareness of dangers of teenage pregnancy, strengthen GBV referral pathways and youth friendly services at all levels of service provision.