When the mother is a child: the impact of child marriage on the health and human rights of girls.

摘要

Child marriage (marriage before age 18 years) is an internationally recognised health and human rights violation disproportionately affecting girls, globally. Although the practice of girl child marriage has decreased substantially over the past 20 years, it remains strikingly pervasive in some world regions, particularly South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa where up to 50-70% of girls in some countries are married prior to age 18 years. However, the practice is not limited to these areas of the world. Parts of Latin America and Eastern Europe report rates of child marriage greater than 10-20% among females, and even high development nations see some cases of child marriage. Currently, over 60 million women and girls worldwide are affected by child marriage.