12 million girls are married every single year. That’s one girl every three seconds who is robbed of her childhood. She’s at risk of violence, poverty, health complications and even death from early pregnancy.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit this September is a big moment for change. Governments from around the globe will come together to decide the future of our planet.
Monika was moments away from being married at 13. Luckily she rang a helpline and the marriage was called off. But millions of girls aren’t so lucky. They need governments to step up and do what’s right. Photo: Allison Sarah Joyce/Girls Not Brides
Girls like Monika should be walking to school, not down the aisle.
Child marriage is more than just a wedding ceremony – it has far reaching implications for the girl, her family and her country. Child brides’ lives and futures are at risk.
If action to address child marriage is not significantly scaled up, a further 650 million girls will be married as children before 2030.
Call on world leaders to focus on child marriage at the SDG Summit, and to make public commitments on how they will implement and fund national action on child marriage.
