Afghanistan, Oct. 10 -- More than 12 million girls worldwide marry before the age of 18 every year, putting their education, health, safety and future choices at risk, the United Nations has warned ahead of the International Day of the Girl Child.
Sima Bahous, executive director of UN Women, said child marriage deprives girls of opportunities to learn, make decisions about their lives and determine their own futures. She highlighted the issue in a message marking the annual observance on October 11.
Despite the continuing scale of the problem, investments in girls' education, legal reforms and social protection programmes have helped prevent an estimated 68 million child marriages over the past 25 years, according to UN figures. The progr...