One in three child marriages ends up in divorce

Nearly one in three child marriages ends up in divorce, often pushing children and young women towards facing stigma and financial hardship, according to a study conducted on the occasion of the International Day of Girl.

Plan International has conducted the study through interviewing girls and young women in 15 countries, including Bangladesh. It has also found that 35 per cent of the respondents have left school after marriage, and are forced to be mother. Some 63 per cent of the respondents are not involved in any education, employment or training.

Globally, 12 million girls are married each year before their 18th birthday, despite the practice being illegal in most countries. Plan International's State of the World's Girls Report 2025 'Let me be a child, not a wife - Girls' experiences of living through child marriage' heard from girls in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Nepal, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Ecuador, Nigeria, Niger, and Togo.

Over 250 girls and young women from 15 countries have shared their personal experiences of child marriage in one of the most extensive studies of its kind. All have been married or in informal unions before the age of 18, and together their previously unheard testimonies lay bare the harms caused by early marriage.

An additional online survey with 244 youth activists from the same countries has also been carried out during the research, according to a press release of Plan International Bangladesh issued on Thursday.

Child marriage remains one of the biggest threats to girls across the globe. Commenting on the findings, Reena Ghelani, Chief Executive Officer of Plan International, said child marriage puts girls at risk of multiple harms and robs them of life opportunities.

smunima@yahoo.com