PHOTO: COURTESY, UNICEF
A girl born today will be 68 years old before child marriage is eradicated. Let that sink in. According to a report by UN Women, at the current pace of change, child marriage won’t be a relic of the past until the year 2092. By then, that newborn girl would have lived her life, seen her daughters grow up, and possibly even her granddaughters. Yet, the shadow of child marriage would still linger. This isn’t just about numbers; it’s a reminder of how far we are from achieving true gender equality.
The numbers are haunting. Twelve million girls are married before the age of 18 every year. Twelve million futures are rewritten. Twelve million lives are altered forever. For each of these girls, childhood ends abruptly. They are thrust into adulthood, expected to bear children and manage households when they should be in school, dreaming of what they could become. Child marriage doesn’t just steal their childhood; it robs them of education, economic opportunities, and a future of their choosing.
But child marriage is not merely a girl’s issue. It’s a human rights issue. It’s about a society’s failure to protect its most vulnerable. It’s about perpetuating cycles of poverty, illiteracy, and gender inequality. It’s about the world turning a blind eye to millions of girls, whose only crime is being born female.
Why Is Progress So Slow?
If the world recognizes the harm child marriage causes, why is progress so painfully slow? The answers lie in a complex web of cultural norms, economic pressures, and political inertia. In many communities, child marriage is seen as a way to secure a girl’s future, protect her from sexual violence, or ease financial burdens on the family. In reality, it achieves the opposite.
Married girls are often pulled out of school, isolating them from education and economic opportunities. They are more likely to experience domestic violence and have higher risks of pregnancy complications due to their young age. Their children are also more likely to face health issues and struggle with education. The cycle of poverty continues.
Yet, cultural norms alone don’t explain why change is so slow. Political will or rather, the lack of it is another major barrier. Many countries have laws setting the minimum marriage age at 18, but these laws are riddled with loopholes, allowing child marriages under religious or customary laws. Inconsistent enforcement and weak legal systems further undermine progress.
International efforts to end child marriage often suffer from fragmented approaches and insufficient funding. Despite the clear link between child marriage and poverty, health issues, and gender inequality, investments in programs to end this practice remain alarmingly low.
The Cost of Inaction
The consequences of inaction are dire. According to the World Bank, ending child marriage could generate billions of dollars in economic benefits by reducing population growth, improving educational attainment, and boosting earnings for women. But the cost of maintaining the status quo is not just financial. It’s about lost potential. It’s about dreams deferred. It’s about girls who could have been doctors, engineers, leaders, or innovators but were denied the chance to even try.
If nothing changes, 150 million more girls will become child brides by 2030. That’s 150 million lives sacrificed to an outdated tradition that has no place in the modern world.
What Needs to Change?
The world cannot afford to wait until 2092. We need to accelerate change, and that requires a multi-pronged approach:
- Stronger Laws and Enforcement: It’s not enough to have laws on paper. Governments must close loopholes and enforce laws consistently. This includes setting strict penalties for those who facilitate child marriages.
- Education as a Lifeline: Education is one of the most powerful tools to prevent child marriage. Girls who stay in school are less likely to marry early. We must invest in quality education that empowers girls, not just academically but also socially and economically.
- Economic Support for Families: In many communities, child marriage is driven by poverty. Families see daughters as economic burdens or sources of dowry. Economic empowerment programs, including cash transfers, vocational training, and microfinance, can provide alternatives.
- Community Engagement and Norm Change: Ending child marriage requires challenging deeply held beliefs and norms. Community leaders, religious figures, and local influencers must be involved to shift mindsets. Girls’ voices should be at the center of these conversations.
The Time for Action is Now
We cannot wait another 68 years. We must act with urgency and determination. Ending child marriage is not just about saving girls from a harmful tradition. It’s about creating a world where every girl is free to dream, free to learn, and free to choose her future.
A girl born today deserves more than to wait until she’s 68 to see justice. She deserves a childhood. She deserves an education. She deserves a chance. The question is, do we have the courage to make that a reality?
The clock is ticking. Let’s not wait until 2092. Let’s act today.
