Transcript Child Marriage Key Findings and Implications for Policy Edilberto Loaiza UNFPA, New York [email protected] Vienna, November 25, 2013

Child Marriage
Key Findings and
Implications for Policy
Edilberto Loaiza
UNFPA, New York
[email protected]
Vienna, November 25, 2013
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Background
 This study was completed and presented in October 2012
as part of the activities scheduled for the first international
day of the girls child
 UNFPA proposed this day to be devoted to the issue of
child marriage
 The study was completed by Edilberto Loaiza and Sylvia
Wong using data from Household Surveys
 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS)
 Multiple Indicators Cluster Survets
 And using population projection from the UN Population
Division for the estimates to 2030
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Key Findings
 During the period 2000-2011, over one third (34%) of the
women 20-24 in developing countries were married or in
union before their eighteenth birthday
 In 2010 this percentage was equivalent to over 67 million women
 About 12% of them were married before age 15
 There are substantial variation around this average,
ranging from 2% in Algeria to 75% in Niger
 In 41 countries,30% or more of the women 20-24 were
married or in union when they were still children
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Despite gains in selected countries, little progress has
been made in preventing child marriage
Table 1. Countries showing a decline in the rate of child marriage, by region
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa
Arab States
East Asia and the Pacific
South Asia
Eastern Europe and Central
Asia
Latin America and the
Caribbean
Countries with significant declines in rates of child
marriage
Benin (U), Cameroon (U), Congo (R), Ethiopia, Lesotho,
Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uganda, United
Republic of Tanzania, Zimbabwe (R)
Jordan (R)
Indonesia (R), Philippines (R)
Bangladesh (U), India, Nepal
Armenia
Bolivia, Guyana (R)
Source: Results from two consecutive household surveys (MICS and DHS) in 48 countries
(U) Changes observed in the urban areas only.
(R) Changes observed in the rural areas only.
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Changes in Bolivia
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Globally child marriage levels have not changed
 The practice of child marriage is still at high and
unacceptable levels in many developing countries (61
countries have a child marriage prevalence of 20 per cent
or higher)
 Child marriage at the global level has remained relatively
constant over the last 10 to 15 years (at around 50 per
cent in rural areas and 23 per cent in urban areas)
 Many developing countries lack evidence to document
prevalence and trends in child marriage and are therefore
unable to develop appropriate policies and programmes
to address it
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Wide disparities both within and among regions and countries
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Wide disparities both within and among regions and countries
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Wide disparities in the prevalence of child marriage are also
found within countries
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About half of the child brides in the developing world live
in Asia (excluding China)
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Girls who are poor, have little or no education and live in rural
areas are most likely to marry or enter into union before age 18
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The lowest rates of contraceptive use among married
adolescents are found in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa
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By 2030, the number of child brides marrying each year will
have grown from 13.5 in 2010 to 15.4 million, that is over 14
per cent if current trends continue
Table 2. Number of women 20 to 24 years old who will marry or enter into union before age 18 if
current levels of child marriage persist for the next 20 years (million)
Region
2010
2015
2020
2025
2030
Sub-Saharan Africa
13.1
13.7
14.0
14.5
15.0
East and Southern Africa
7,0
7,2
7,4
7,7
8,0
West and Central Africa
6,2
6,4
6,6
6,89
7,1
Arab States
6,0
6,2
6,4
6,6
6,9
East Asia and the Pacific*
9.7
10,1
10,6
10,7
11,1
South Asia
24.4
25.3
26,9
26.8
27.9
Eastern Europe and Central Asia
5.8
6,0
6,1
6.3
6,6
Latin America and the Caribbean
8,5
8.8
9.1
9,4
9.7
67.4
70.2
71,8
74,3
77.2
Total*
13.5
14,0
14,4
14.9
15,4
Total per year*
Source: UNFPA database. * Excluding China
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Implications for Policy and Programs to:
 Accelerate the prevention of child marriage,
 Accelerate the provision of adequate support to the girls
who are already married
 Conditions in which child marriage practice continues:
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Gender inequality
Lack of protection of girl’s human rights
Persistent traditions in favor of early marriage
Poverty
Humanitarian crisis/settings
Tough economic realities
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Implications for Policy and Programs to:
 Each country to collect and analyze its own data to identify targets,
 Use the evidence to put programs in place supported by adequate
allocation of resources, to prevent and end child marriage and to
manage its consequences
 Interventions to support both unmarried and married adolescents:
 Having access to sexual and reproductive health information (family
planning, maternal health information and HIV prevention and treatment)
 Married ones to avoid early and frequent pregnancies
 Countries to consider a multi-pronged approach including
enforcement of laws against child marriage, expand girls’ opportunity
for post-primary education, offer to girls the opportunity to develop
new skills and to show to families positive alternatives to child
marriage
 Investing in girls as multiplier effect on many outcomes
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Five core approaches
1. Empower girls by building/developing their skills
and enhancing their social skills
2. Improve girls’ access to quality formal education
3. Mobilize communities to transform detrimental
social norms
4. Enhance the economic situation of girls and
their families
5. Generate an enabling legal and policy
environment
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MARRYING TOO YOUNG: End Child Marriage
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