UNICEF has released new estimates revealing that South Asia has the highest number of child brides in the world, with 290 million child brides accounting for 45% of the global total. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a significant factor, as families facing increased financial pressures and school closures have been forced to marry off their young daughters. To combat the practice of child marriage, UNICEF, UNFPA, the South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC), Plan International, and World Vision called for renewed efforts at a regional forum attended by more than 100 government and civil society representatives from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
The participants at the forum highlighted promising solutions in reducing the practice, such as working with religious leaders to positively change how girls are valued by families and communities, and using cash transfers to counter poverty and build resilience to shocks. They also called for the enactment of comprehensive social protection measures to counter poverty, adequate protective legal and policy frameworks that protect children against child marriage, and the promotion of positive behaviors among families, with a focus on men and boys, and the guaranteeing of funding and availability of key health and social services for girls.
Participants at the forum, held in Kathmandu between 17-19 April, reviewed implementation of the Regional Action Plan to End Child Marriage, first adopted in 2014 by SAIEVAC, and noted the need to accelerate progress.
“Despite commendable progress, much more needs to be done to end child marriage. The fact that South Asia has the highest child marriage burden in the world is nothing short of tragic,” said Noala Skinner, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia a.i. “Child marriage locks girls out of learning, puts their health and wellbeing at risk and compromises their future. Every girl who gets married as a child is one girl too many.”
“Child marriage remains widespread in many countries, with harmful consequences on girls and the entire society,” said Mr. Björn Andersson, UNFPA Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. “We must do more and strengthen partnerships to empower girls through education, including comprehensive sexuality education, and equipping them with skills, while supporting communities to come together to end this deeply rooted practice.”
The study by UNICEF South Asia, which included over 260 interviews and 120 focus group discussions across 16 locations in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal, found that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in increased financial pressure on families, leading them to arrange marriages for their young daughters to reduce costs at home. Girls being out of school due to the pandemic was one of the most prominent drivers of child marriage, despite efforts to involve children in remote learning. Many parents viewed girls as a burden and saw marriage as the best option for their daughters who had limited options to study during lockdowns.
Young people from the eight countries submitted a joint statement calling on governments to take stronger action. “We don’t want to see a child in a child’s womb. We want to see a baby in a woman’s womb,” said Dola Akter, an 18-year-old activist against child marriage from Bangladesh and member of the Youth Forum. “Girls are not a burden on parents, they are an asset. Governments should give more focus on implementing the laws.”
The participants at the forum identified key actions to accelerate the achievement of the targets of the Regional Action Plan to End Child Marriage. These include countering poverty by enacting comprehensive social protection measures, safeguarding every child’s right to attend and complete primary and secondary education, ensuring adequate protective legal and policy frameworks that protect children against child marriage, accelerating action to address social norms and promote positive behaviors among families, with a focus on men and boys,
The participants at the forum highlighted promising solutions in reducing the practice, such as working with religious leaders to positively change how girls are valued by families and communities, and using cash transfers to counter poverty and build resilience to shocks. They also called for the enactment of comprehensive social protection measures to counter poverty, adequate protective legal and policy frameworks that protect children against child marriage, and the promotion of positive behaviors among families, with a focus on men and boys, and the guaranteeing of funding and availability of key health and social services for girls.
Participants at the forum, held in Kathmandu between 17-19 April, reviewed implementation of the Regional Action Plan to End Child Marriage, first adopted in 2014 by SAIEVAC, and noted the need to accelerate progress.
“Despite commendable progress, much more needs to be done to end child marriage. The fact that South Asia has the highest child marriage burden in the world is nothing short of tragic,” said Noala Skinner, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia a.i. “Child marriage locks girls out of learning, puts their health and wellbeing at risk and compromises their future. Every girl who gets married as a child is one girl too many.”
“Child marriage remains widespread in many countries, with harmful consequences on girls and the entire society,” said Mr. Björn Andersson, UNFPA Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. “We must do more and strengthen partnerships to empower girls through education, including comprehensive sexuality education, and equipping them with skills, while supporting communities to come together to end this deeply rooted practice.”
The study by UNICEF South Asia, which included over 260 interviews and 120 focus group discussions across 16 locations in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal, found that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in increased financial pressure on families, leading them to arrange marriages for their young daughters to reduce costs at home. Girls being out of school due to the pandemic was one of the most prominent drivers of child marriage, despite efforts to involve children in remote learning. Many parents viewed girls as a burden and saw marriage as the best option for their daughters who had limited options to study during lockdowns.
Young people from the eight countries submitted a joint statement calling on governments to take stronger action. “We don’t want to see a child in a child’s womb. We want to see a baby in a woman’s womb,” said Dola Akter, an 18-year-old activist against child marriage from Bangladesh and member of the Youth Forum. “Girls are not a burden on parents, they are an asset. Governments should give more focus on implementing the laws.”
The participants at the forum identified key actions to accelerate the achievement of the targets of the Regional Action Plan to End Child Marriage. These include countering poverty by enacting comprehensive social protection measures, safeguarding every child’s right to attend and complete primary and secondary education, ensuring adequate protective legal and policy frameworks that protect children against child marriage, accelerating action to address social norms and promote positive behaviors among families, with a focus on men and boys,
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