Educating girls could prevent two-thirds of child marriages

If all girls went to primary school, one-sixth of child marriages could be prevented among girls aged under -15 years in sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia.


This was one of the findings of the UNESCO’s Education for All Global Monitoring Report released on the International Day of the Girl Child on October 11.

The report also indicated that if all girls got the chance to go to secondary school, child marriages could be reduced by two-thirds in these regions, saving almost two million girls from becoming child brides.

 Mariam Khalique, Malala’s teacher from the Swat Valley in Pakistan, and spokesperson for the EFA Global Monitoring Report said: “Every hour counts– we must educate girls to help bring about changes quickly in our society. Education gives girls dignity. How can you change your life if you don’t know how? If girls and women are empowered they can take control of their own lives and their bodies. That is why education is priceless and important for girls and women not only in Pakistan but all around the world.”

The new EFA GMR analysis, ‘Education Transforms’, shows that one in eight girls is married by the age of 15 years in sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia.

It also shows how education can empower girls to find greater confidence and freedom to make decisions that affect their own lives. In Ethiopia, for example, 32% of girls with less than primary education were married before the age of 15 years, compared with less than 9% of those with a secondary education.
“Educating girls is one of the best investments we can make”, said Pauline Rose, director of the EFA Global Monitoring Report, “and yet 31 million girls of primary school age out of school, and 17 million are expected never to enter school at all. This situation desperately needs addressing.”

In addition to preventing child marriages, the EFA GMR’s new analysis shows that educating girls can also prevent them from becoming mothers themselves when just children, risking their own, and their babies’ health in early childbirth.

‘Education transforms’ shows that one in seven girls has given birth by the age of 17 years in sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia. Yet 10% fewer girls would become pregnant at an age when they should be in school if they had a primary education. There would be 59% fewer pregnancies among girls under 17 years if all girls had a secondary education.