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In the past decade, 25 million child marriages have been prevented globally thanks to the increased rate of girls’ education, the proactive investment of governments in adolescent girls and greater public awareness of the harms of child marriage. Specific efforts are under way to link these efforts to the implementation and monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 5.3 to eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilations. In recent years, actions to end child and forced marriage have increased at international, regional and national levels (see A/HRC/RES/24/23 A/HRC/26/22 A/HRC/35/5 A/HRC/41/19 A/71/253 A/73/257 A/75/262).

International human rights instruments and international entities stress the need to take measures to address CFM. Despite progress, prevalence remains high The practice is particularly widespread in conflict-affected countries and humanitarian settings (source: UNICEF). In the least developed countries, that number doubles: 40 per cent of girls are married before age 18, and 12 per cent of girls are married before age 15. One in every five girls is married, or in union, before reaching age 18. Every year, at least 12 million girls are married before they reach the age of 18. Worldwide, more than 650 million women alive today were married as children.

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A child marriage is considered to be a form of forced marriage, given that one and/or both parties have not expressed full, free and informed consent.

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Definitions of child marriage and forced marriageĬhild marriage is any marriage where at least one of the parties is under 18 years of age.įorced marriage is a marriage in which one and/or both parties have not personally expressed their full and free consent to the union. Child and forced marriage (CFM) is a human rights violation and a harmful practice that disproportionately affects women and girls globally, preventing them from living their lives free from all forms of violence.ĬFM threatens the lives and futures of girls and women around the world, robbing them of their agency to make decisions about their lives, disrupting their education, making them more vulnerable to violence, discrimination and abuse, and preventing their full participation in economic, political and social spheres.Ĭhild marriage is also often accompanied by early and frequent pregnancy and childbirth, resulting in higher than average maternal morbidity and mortality rates.ĬFM may lead to women and girls attempting to flee their communities or commit suicide to avoid or escape the marriage.

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