Every 7 seconds, a young girl becomes a bride, report says (the US ranks THIRTY-SECOND in the world
(the US ranks THIRTY-SECOND in the world on this
Every 7 seconds, a young girl becomes a bride, report says
Tamrea, seen here with her 5-year-old daughter, was married when she was 12.
"I was given to a husband at 12," says a girl from Ethiopia
"Child marriage starts a cycle of disadvantage," Save the Children says
(CNN)The statistics are startling: Around the world, every seven seconds, a girl under 15 is married.
Becoming a child bride is one factor that greatly affects the future of women and girls around the world, according to a report by Save the Children released Tuesday. "Child marriage starts a cycle of disadvantage that denies girls the most basic rights to learn, develop and be children," said Save the Children International CEO Helle Thorning-Schmidt.
(video at link)
Vietnamese child bride: I was tricked into being sold 03:07
"Girls who marry too early often can't attend school, and are more likely to face domestic violence, abuse and rape... They also bear children before their bodies are fully prepared, which can have devastating consequences on their and their baby's health." The report, called "Every Last Girl," ranked 144 countries from the best to the worst in which to be a girl. The listing was based on child marriage, schooling, teen pregnancy, maternal deaths and the number of female lawmakers.
The stories of the child brides are harrowing and heartbreaking. Girls as young as 10 are being married off, in many cases with much older men, the global charity reports.
. . . . .
Niger ranks last
The worst countries in which to be a girl are Somalia, Mali, Central African Republic, Chad and Niger, which all ranked at the bottom of the Girls' Opportunity Index. "In Niger, for example, 76% of young women were married before they were 18, and one in five adolescent girls gives birth a year on average," Save the Children said. "All countries at the bottom of the ranking must focus urgently on ensuring that policy and practice uphold girls' rights in health and education, as well as in the household." Countries at the top include Sweden, Finland, Norway, Netherlands and Belgium. The United States comes in at 32.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/11/world/girls-around-the-world-report/
