PRESS RELEASE
UNICEF focuses on ending child marriage on the International
Day of the Girl Child
‘My Life, My Right, End Child Marriage’
NEW YORK, 11 October 2012 – On the first International Day of the Girl Child, UNICEF and partners
are highlighting joint efforts to end child marriage – a fundamental human rights violation that impacts
all aspects of a girl’s life.
“The International Day of the Girl Child readily reflects the need to put girls’ rights at the centre of
development,” said Anju Malhotra with the Gender and Rights Section in UNICEF, “The UN and
partners are coming together to show the incredible progress made and to highlight the ongoing
challenges.”
Under the headline ‘My Life, My Right, End Child Marriage’, a series of events and actions are taking
place throughout the world to draw attention to this critically important issue. At UN Headquarters in
New York, Archbishop Desmond Tutu will join UNICEF, UNFPA and UN Women to discuss ways
governments, civil society, UN agencies and the private sector can come together to accelerate a
decline in the practice of child marriage. In Malawi, a parliamentary debate will put the issue at centre
stage and in Uganda SMS technology is being used by young people to openly discuss the practice.
In partnership with governments, civil society and UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes, UNICEF is
laying the groundwork to end child marriage globally. In 2011, 34 country offices reported efforts to
address child marriage through social and economic change efforts and legal reform.
In India, one of the countries in the world with the largest number of girls being married before their
18th birthday, child marriage has declined nationally and in nearly all states from 54 per cent in 19921993 to 43 per cent in 2007-2008, but the pace of change is slow.
UNICEF supported the passage of the Child Marriage Prohibition Act of 2006, and has since supported
the development and implementation of a national strategy on child marriage that aims to coordinate
programmes and policies to address both the causes and the consequences of child marriage. Working
with individual states, UNICEF took part in developing state action plans and supported the
establishment of girls clubs and collectives that were trained on child rights and how to work with the
community to stimulate a dialogue about ending child marriage.
Experiences in contexts as diverse as Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Ethiopia, India, Niger,
Senegal and Somalia show how combining legal measures with support to communities, providing
viable alternatives – especially schooling – and enabling communities to discuss and reach the explicit,
collective decision to end child marriage yield positive results.
“Child marriage can often result in ending a girl’s education. In communities where the practice is
prevalent, marrying a girl as a child is part of a cluster of social norms and attitudes that reflect the
low value accorded to the human rights of girls,” said Ms. Malhotra.
Education is one of the most effective strategies to protect children against marriage. When girls are
able to stay in school an attitudinal change can also occur towards their opportunities within the
community.
The proportion of child brides has decreased over the last 30 years but child marriage persists at high
rates in several regions of the world, particularly in rural areas and among the poorest. Some child
brides are the most marginalized and vulnerable of society. Young brides are often isolated – removed
from immediate families, taken out of school and denied interaction with their peers and communities.
Most recent UNICEF estimates indicate that about 70 million – or around 1 in 3 – young women aged
20-24 were married before the age of 18, with 23 million of them having been married before they
turned 15. Globally, almost 400 million women aged 20-49, or over 40 per cent, were married while
they were children.
Child marriage puts girls at risk of early and unwanted pregnancies, posing life-threatening
consequences. Maternal deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth are an important component of
mortality for girls aged 15-19 worldwide, accounting for some 50,000 deaths each year. Moreover,
girls between 10 and 14 years of age are five times more likely than women aged 20 to 24 die in
pregnancy and childbirth.
“Through global commitments, civil society movements, legislation and individual initiatives girls will
flourish in a safe and productive environment,” said Malhotra. ”We must accelerate progress and
dedicate resources for girls to claim their rights and realize their full potential.”
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About UNICEF
UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood
through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF
supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and
girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by
the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. For more
information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org
UNICEF is the designated agency for International Day of the Girl Child.
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For more information, please contact:
Rebecca Fordham, UNICEF New York, +1 212 326 7162, Mobile: + 1 917 605 1696,
rfordham@unicef.org
Peter Smerdon, UNICEF New York, + 1 212 303 7984, Mobile: +1 917 213 5188,
psmerdon@unicef.org
Edita Nsubuga, UNICEF Kenya, + 254 20 762 2977, Mobile: +254 708 989221,
ensubuga@unicef.org