According to new estimates by UNICEF South Asia having highest number of child brides in the world due to Increase financial pressures and school closures in COVID-19 force families to marry off their young daughters.
There were 290 million child brides in the region, 45% of the total, the UN children’s agency said, calling for greater efforts to end the practice. UNICEF South Asia Regional Director Noala Skinner said “Child marriage prevents girls from learning, threatens their health and well-being and threatens their future. Every girl who marries as a child is one girl too many.’
Highest number of child brides
Interviews and discussions in 16 locations in Bangladesh, India and Nepal, found that many parents saw marriage as the best option for daughters who had limited study options during the COVID lockdown.
The legal age of marriage for women is 20 in Nepal, 18 in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and 16 in Afghanistan. It is 16 years in Pakistan except in Sindh province where the minimum age is 18 years. The UN study also found that families were pushed by financial strain during the pandemic to marry off their daughters young to reduce household costs.
increasing financial pressures in lockdown
The agency said potential solutions identified in the discussions include adopting social protection measures to combat poverty, protecting every child’s right to education, ensuring an adequate law enforcement framework and making greater efforts to address social norms.
“We need to do more and strengthen partnerships to empower girls through education, including comprehensive sexuality education, and equip them with skills while supporting communities to come together to end this deeply entrenched practice,” said Björn Andersson, Regional Director of the Asia-Pacific Association United Nations Population Fund.
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