Child marriage is a violation of child rights, and has a negative impact on physical growth, health, mental and emotional development, and education opportunities.
Child marriage is a violation of child rights, and has a negative impact on physical growth, health, mental and emotional development, and education opportunities. While regional disparities exist, child marriage has significantly decreased from 47 per cent (2006) to 27 per cent (2016).
It also affects society as a whole since child marriage reinforces a cycle of *** and perpetuates gender discrimination, illiteracy and malnutrition as well as high infant and maternal mortality rates.
Child marriage impacts on almost all facets of reaching the Millennium Development Goals. It is for this reason that combating the problem is a key feature of the post-2015 MDG agenda and a major priority for UNICEF in India.
Both and boys are affected by child marriage, but are affected in much larger numbers and with greater intensity. Child marriage can be seen across the country but it is far higher in rural than in urban areas. ***** from poorer families, scheduled castes and tribes, and with lower education levels are more likely to marry at a younger age.
Although child marriage is declining, the rate of decline is slow. Broad, multi-faceted strategies are needed to target different aspects of the problem, including deep-rooted social norms and behaviours, the perceived low value of , limited access to education, exposure to ***, restricted freedom of movement and economic vulnerability.
UNICEF has been working tirelessly to prevent child marriage across the states where it works. Partnerships with government and civil society are a crucial part of these efforts, but much more can be done.
