Early Marriage A Statistical Exploration

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration Early Marriage Violates the Rights of Girls and Boys The right to free and full consent to marriage is recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, CEDAW, and is frequently addressed by the Committee on the Rights of the Child. CEDAW article 16 states that The betrothal and the marriage of a child shall have no legal effect, and all necessary action, including legislation, shall be taken to specify a minimum age for marriage

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration Proportion of women ages in union by age 18

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration REGIONAL AVERAGES Proportion of women aged who were married before the age of 18 South Asia48 percent Sub-Saharan Africa42 per cent Latin America and the Caribbean 29 per cent

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS Place of residence Household wealth Education

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration Women ages in union by age 18, national averages

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration Rural women are more likely to married before age 18

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration Disparities in child marriage for women in Africa according to household wealth

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration Girls who are in union are more likely to come from the poorest 40% of society than the richest 40%.

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration Education is a protective factor Women who had attended primary school were less likely to be married by age 18 than those who had not. Women who attended secondary were even less likely to be married by age 18 than those who attended only primary school.

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration Girls who are married have a variety of educational experiences

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration CHARATERISTICS OF UNION Number of children Spousal age difference Spousal education gap

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration Early marriage is related to having more children married before age 18

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration Women married before age 18 tend to marry men 5 or more years older

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration Women who are married before the age of 18 tend to have less education than the men they marry

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration REPRODUCTIVE AND SEXUAL HEALTH AND KNOWLEDGE Comprehensive knowledge of HIV Contraceptive use

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration Women who know how to prevent HIV infection are less likely to have been married by age 18 than those who do not.

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration In all but 4 countries, more than 50 per cent of girls aged currently in union know how to protect themselves from HIV transmission

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration In more than half the countries considered, women who used only traditional contraceptive methods were more likely to be married before the age of 18 than those who used modern contraception.

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration In most countries, girls who are in union have never used contraception of any kind

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration Profiles of married girls

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration Domestic violence is more common among women who had been married as children

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration Multivariate Analysis: Main Findings Education is highly significant as a protective factor; High fertility levels are associated with the prevalence of child marriage; Women more than 4 years younger than their partners were significantly more likely to have been married early; Women whose spouses received some education were less likely to be married before age 18 than women whose partners were uneducated. Women who have experienced domestic violence were more likely to have been married before 18 than women who had not.

UNICEFEarly Marriage: A Statistical Exploration Conclusions and Recommendations Improving access to education, particularly beyond the primary level, for both girls and boys and eliminating gender gaps in education are important strategies toward ending the practice of child marriage. Efforts are needed to empower and protect girls who are in union. Advocacy efforts are required to increase the number of countries for which data on womens empowerment and experiences of violence are collected.