Ending child marriage in West and Central Africa could take 100 years, warns UNICEF

A report by UNICEF says it will take about a century to end child marriage in West and Central Africa. 

The report “Achieving a Future Without Child Marriage” says even doubling the current rate of decline would not be sufficient to reduce the number of girls marrying each year.

During a high level meeting on ending child marriages in Dakar, where the report was released, it came out Niger, Central African  Republic, Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea are among countries with high prevalence of child  marriage.

Ghana is among five countries in the region where the practice has declined over the past 25 years. 

The report states that with the right mix of strategies such as empowering girls, mobilizing families and communities to change attitudes and behaviors, providing adequate services to girls at risk, and promoting their right, progress will be possible. 

The Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, Fatoumata Ndiaye said “we need to shake ourselves up” to address the issue.

She again noted that “we cannot continue to let so many of our girls miss out on their health, education, and childhood.

Child marriage, the marriage or union of children under the age of 18, is a harmful practice which violates the rights of children.

GBCONLINE
---DECRYPTED---