Study reveals Child marriage kills 60 girls every day globally

World: Around 60 girls die every day across the world due to pregnancy and childbirth resulting from child marriage. This data has been revealed by a foundation – “Save the Children”, in their Global Girlhood report 2021.

The report released by the foundation further discloses that a total of 22,000 girls lose their lives every year worldwide.

The highest mortality rate globally has been reported in the West and Central Africa, according to the report. That is half of the globally estimated deaths are being recorded in these areas, with around 9,600 fatalities, which means that twenty-six deaths per day.

After West and Central Africa comes next is South Asia, which records 2,000 deaths each year. After it comes East Asia and the Pacific with a record of 650 fatalities, and then the Caribbean region and Latin America recording a total of 500 deaths annually.

Not only this, but as per the analysis done in the foundation’s report, 10 million girls will get married by 2030, that is indicating the risk of more fatalities due to the issues.

Impact of COVID-19 outbreak on child marriage –

The study notes that amid the pandemic, the violence for women and girls across the world has increased significantly due to the closure of schools and the other works that drove many families into poverty.

This is an alarm for every nation’s government and people to wake up and raise their volume against the cruelty that teenage girls and women are suffering. Strong laws, gender equality, girl child initiatives, and providing women and girls with equal rights is the need of the hour so as they can freely and safely breathe in the air.

It becomes more important to eradicate the thinking of child marriage from the minds of people. Giving opportunities to grow, a healthy learning environment is what our children need, not a child marriage.