UNICEF to Congress - We can stop child marriage!

Mark Engman is Director of Public Policy and Advocacy for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

At a packed hearing of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on July 15, 2010, representatives from leading humanitarian organizations, including UNICEF, spoke out against child marriage as a harmful traditional practice and a gross human rights violation that puts young girls at risk and keeps them mired in poverty.

© Office of Rep. McCollum
Rep. Betty McCollum speaking during the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing on child marriage. Listening to her statement is Rep. Jim McGovern, who chairs the Commission.

UNICEF Senior Child Protection Specialist Francesca Moneti told Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), the Commission's chair, that child marriage affects millions of girls in all regions of the world, especially in South Asia and in Africa. In Bangladesh and in five western central African countries, six of every 10 girls are married before the age of 18.

Not only does child marriage generally cut off a girl's education, but Francesca also highlighted the severe health risks that child marriage brings for girls. Girls under age 15 are five times more likely to die in pregnancy and childbirth than women ages 20 to 24. She also described how early pregnancy severely affects the growth and nutrition status of both the girl and her baby - causing stunting for both of them.