More than 12 million girls are married before the age of 18 every year, roughly one every three seconds, a global crisis that has renewed calls for urgent action as the world marks the International Day of the Girl Child today. This year’s observance, held under the theme “End child marriage and invest in girls’ rights” , calls on governments, communities and development partners to protect girls from early marriage, expand access to education and gives them greater control over decisions affecting their lives. The scale of the crisis remains staggering. According to UNICEF estimates, approximately 650 million women and girls alive today were married during childhood . Poverty, gender inequality, conflict and harmful social norms continue to expose millions of girls to marriages that can interrupt their education, threaten their health and restrict their opportunities. For many, child marriage means leaving school before completing their education, facing adult responsibilities p...
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