According to the UN, in Africa, 130 million girls are still getting married before they turn 18, the highest incidence in the world. The problem is particularly severe in parts of the Sahel. In West and Central Africa alone, that’s around 4 in 10 young women.
In some countries, child marraige is going down. In Ethiopia, research shows child marriage is less common in places where girls have better social and economic opportunities. And programs that brought communities together to talk about child marriage, combined with economic incentives, reduced child marriage.
In Malawi, cash-support programs helped some girls stay in school and delay marriage. In 2024, Sierra Leone passed a law banning marriage for anyone under 18.
But laws only work if they’re enforced, and if girls have real alternatives.
There is no single solution. But ending child marriage starts with giving girls the power to choose their own future.
Source: www.dw.com
