It's difficult to comprehend just how fast some young girls have to grow up in certain parts of the globe. Somewhere around the world, an underaged girl becomes a child bride every two seconds. In Niger, for example, more than 76 percent of girls are married before they even reach adulthood at age 18. The numbers are heartbreakingly similar in countries such as Chad and Bangladesh. In fact, about 15 million girls get married every year before they turn 18. That translates to 41,000 child brides every single day.
Too much, too soon:
- The World Health Organization reports that girls under the age of 15 are five times more likely to die during childbirth, compared to women in their 20s.
- According to the United Nations, when young girls get married and get pregnant, their educational prospects plummet. Not surprisingly, girls from poor families suffer even more than girls from wealthier households.
- Although some countries, such as Guatemala, have recently changed their laws to require girls to be 18 before they’re allowed to marry, societal norms must change, too. Similar laws exist in Ethiopia, but one in five girls there marries before they’re 15.