How Child Marriage Steals Girlhood: End Child Marriage

Nairobi Kenya

In Summary:

• Around 650 million women and girls worldwide were married before turning 18 : over 50 million of them in Eastern and Southern Africa.
• Poverty, gender inequality, and harmful traditions continue to drive child marriage despite legal prohibitions.
• Early marriage cuts girls off from education, safety, and oopportunities: denying them the chance to choose their own futures.

Child marriage is any formal marriage or informal union where one or both people are under 18 years old.

Child marriage strips children of their rights and futures. It is more than a harmful custom;  it’s a violation of human rights that leaves lasting scars on individuals and societies alike. UNICEF estimates that about 650 million girls and women alive today were married before their 18th birthdays, with over 50 million living in Eastern and Southern Africa. In this region, nearly one in three young women entered marriage before adulthood; a reality that continues to rob countless girls of childhood, safety, and dreams.

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At just 15, Bupe from Zambia stopped being a child. Married to an older man, she says she learned early that silence was survival.

“Whenever I tried to speak up, he would beat me,” she recalled. “I kept quiet because I feared the consequences.”

Her story mirrors those of more than 250 girls and young women from 15 countries; stretching from Nepal to Nigeria: who shared their experiences in Plan International’s State of the World’s Girls Report 2025: Let Me Be a Child, Not a Wife. Together, their voices form a powerful reminder that despite decades of advocacy and progress, child marriage remains one of the most entrenched violations of girls’ rights.

A child sharing the story

Each year, an estimated 12 million girls are married before reaching adulthood. Many enter unions that are unlawful under national statutes but continue under the cover of custom, poverty, or family obligation. The testimonies gathered in the report repeat the same pattern: early marriage leading to violence, school dropouts, poor health, and broken ambitions.

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“I was married off young. I wasn’t allowed to study or progress in life — I was deprived of everything,” said Juna, 24, from Nepal. “I won’t let that happen to my daughter.”

The report shows that child marriage often thrives in silence. Thirteen percent of the girls interviewed said they had experienced violence, though the real figure is likely far higher given the shame and stigma surrounding abuse. Nearly half were married to men at least five years older, with some wed to partners more than two decades their senior.

Behind the statistics lie deeper forces; economic hardship, rigid gender norms, and social expectations that tie a girl’s worth to her obedience or fertility. In many communities, marriage is still seen as a form of “protection”: shielding families from gossip or poverty. Yet for most, it marks the beginning of isolation and abuse.

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Once married, many girls are cut off from education and opportunity. More than a third dropped out of school after marriage, and nearly two-thirds are now neither studying, working, nor receiving training. Their access to healthcare and contraception is often controlled by husbands or in-laws.

Even when marriages end; as nearly one in three eventually do: the girls face social stigma, economic instability, and loneliness. “Leaving doesn’t guarantee freedom,” the report warns. “It often leads to isolation.”

In parts of Asia and Latin America, technology has introduced new dangers. Online, older men exploit girls’ vulnerabilities, using affection or financial promises to lure them into exploitative relationships that lead to early marriage. What begins as digital courtship can quickly turn into a trap.

Despite legal bans in nearly every country studied except Niger: child marriage persists through loopholes. Religious or community leaders and even parents can still consent to underage unions. Informal or unregistered marriages leave girls without legal recourse, property rights, or access to support if abandoned.

Plan International’s CEO, Reena Ghelani, describes the findings as a global wake-up call.

“Child marriage puts girls at risk of multiple harms and robs them of life opportunities,” she said. “Progress is too slow, and laws alone aren’t enough to protect girls.”

She urged governments and partners to invest in programs that confront social norms and build stronger protection systems. Education, digital literacy, and online safety, she added, must become national priorities.

“Child marriage is not normal and should never be accepted as such. Every girl deserves the right to choose her own path.”

The stories gathered in this report are more than case studies; they’re warnings from a generation whose childhoods were cut short but whose resolve remains unbroken.

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Many, like Juna, are determined to ensure their daughters have what they were denied: education, security, and the freedom to dream.

Their collective message is simple but urgent: until every girl can say no to marriage and yes to her own future, the world’s promise of equality remains unfulfilled.

Photo credits: 

Profile: Camfed