There are 290 million child brides in the region, accounting for 45 percent of the global total, UNICEF says.
South Asia is home to the highest number of child brides in the world as increased financial pressures and school closures due to COVID-19 forced families to marry off their young daughters, according to new estimates from UNICEF.
There were 290 million child brides in the region, representing 45 percent of the global total, the United Nations children’s organization said Wednesday, calling for more efforts to end the practice.
“The fact that South Asia has the highest burden of child marriage in the world is nothing short of tragic,” Noala Skinner, UNICEF’s regional director for South Asia, said in a statement.
“Child marriages prevent girls from learning, jeopardize their health and well-being and jeopardize their future. Every girl who marries as a child is one too many.”
A new study from the agency, which also included interviews and discussions at 16 locations in Bangladesh, India and Nepal, found that many parents saw marriage as the best option for daughters who had limited opportunities to study during the COVID lockdowns.
The legal age of marriage for women is 20 years in Nepal, 18 years in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and 16 years in Afghanistan. In Pakistan it is 16 years old except in Sindh province where the minimum age is 18 years old.
The UN inquiry also found that financial strains forced families to marry their daughters young to reduce costs at home during the pandemic.
The agency said possible solutions identified in discussions include taking social protection measures to combat poverty, protecting every child’s right to education, ensuring an adequate framework to enforce the law and stepping up efforts to address social norms.
“We need to do more and strengthen partnerships to empower girls through education, including comprehensive sex education, and equip them with skills, while supporting communities to come together to end this entrenched practice” said Björn Andersson, Asia-Pacific Regional Director of the United Nations Population Fund.