South Asia could eliminate child marriage only in 55 years – UNICEF Dr. Jassim Taqui DG, Al-bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad May 4, 2023: South Asia continues to drive global reductions in child marriage and is on pace to eliminate child marriage in about 55 years, according to a new analysis issued by UNICEF South Asia today. Child marriage has declined steadily in South Asia. In the last decade alone, a girl’s likelihood of marrying in childhood in South Asia has dropped by nearly half, from 46 percent to 26 percent. This progress is driven largely by India, with notable declines in Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Pakistan. However, the region remains home to nearly half (45 percent) of the world's child brides. While India has recorded significant progress in recent decades, it still accounts for one-third of the estimated child marriage cases globally total. Already, an estimated 640 million girls and women alive globally today were married in childhood – of which 290 million are in South Asia, according to the latest estimates included in the analysis. Despite a steady decline in child marriage in the last decade, multiple crises including climate catastrophes, economic shocks, and the ongoing fallout from COVID-19 are threatening to reverse hard-earned gains in South Asia. The COVID crisis has made it difficult for girls to access health care, education, social services, and community support. "The world is engulfed by crises on top of crises that are crushing the hopes and dreams of vulnerable children, especially girls who should be students, not brides," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "Health and economic crises, escalating armed conflicts, and the ravaging effects of climate change are forcing families to seek a false sense of refuge in child marriage. We need to do everything in our power to ensure that their rights to an education and empowered lives are secured." In South Asia, levels of child marriage vary considerably across the region, from over 50 percent in Bangladesh to 2 percent in the Maldives. Within countries, there is further disparity: in Afghanistan, for example, there is a tenfold difference in prevalence across provinces. However, overall, child brides in South Asia are more likely to live in poor households, have less education, and reside in rural areas. For example, 1 in 4 child brides in Pakistan have never been to school.