South Asia is still struggling to overcome the social pang called child marriage

Child marriage is any marriage between a child under the age of 18 with an adult or another child.

 
It includes both formal marriages and informal arrangements where a child lives with a partner as if they are married.  Child marriage is a tragic reality for girls and boys in South Asia, but it continues to disproportionately affect girls in most cases. 

The decision to marry a child is driven by deep-seated social and religious views and financial hardship. The practice is reinforced by harmful gender values and beliefs and inequality. Girls are often seen as a burden for families and some families believe that marriage provides them with protection. 

Inadequate laws, loopholes and lack of birth registration can also leave children vulnerable to be given in marriage – unprotected by systems that should be keeping them safe. 

In South Asia, girls who are from poor households, are less educated and live in rural areas are more likely to become child brides. 

Girls living in areas prone to conflict and natural disasters are particularly vulnerable to child marriage. Families in dire situations are often forced to make desperate choices, which can tragically include marrying off their daughters at a young age.   

When a child is married, their whole world narrows. They are often cut off from their families, stop going to school, and for girls especially, it can lead to lifelong and serious health problems.   

Girls who marry in childhood are more likely to experience domestic violence and get pregnant before they turn 18. Three in four child brides in South Asia give birth while they are adolescents. Still children themselves, their bodies are not yet ready to bear a child – and the consequences can be devastating for their health and that of their babies. 

Child brides have a higher risk of severe complications, during pregnancy and childbirth.  

In Bangladesh, India and Nepal, child brides are four times more likely to be out of school than their unmarried peers. And in Pakistan, 1 in 4 girls who marry as a child have never even been to school.  

 
This reality further holds girls back from reaching their full potential – closing the door on learning opportunities and future employment – and shattering their dreams. Marrying in childhood can also isolate girls from family and friends and exclude them from participating in their communities, taking a heavy toll on their mental health and well-being.   

In the last decade, significant progress has been made to reduce child marriage in South Asia by the year 2030. Yet, if we continue at the same pace, it could take 55 years to eliminate it.