A report, released ahead of this year’s International Day of the Girl Child, exposed the harsh and ongoing reality of child marriage, one of the world’s violations of girls’ rights.
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’, drew testimonies of 251 girls and young women across 15 countries, that included Ethiopia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Uganda, Zambia, and Nigeria where more than one in 10 girls estimated at 13% disclosed experiencing violence.
According to UNICEF, 12 million girls are still married every year before their 18th birthday. That’s 23 girls every minute whose childhoods are cut short, despite it’s illegality.
Reena Ghelani, CEO Plan International, said the findings of the report expose hidden realities faced by millions of girls. “Child marriage puts girls at risk of multiple harms and robs them of life opportunities,” she noted. Ghelani emphasized that child marriage is not normal and should never be treated as such.
Kisii county women representative, Doris Donya called for intensified public awareness as a strategy to end child marriages, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and teenage pregnancies.
Addressing the root causes of child marriage, Donya highlighted poverty and outdated cultural practices as the main drivers. She called on political leaders, to spearhead initiatives that promote youth empowerment and access to education.
She noted that improving agricultural productivity and creating economic opportunities could help families support their children’s education and reduce early marriages.Donya advocated for open discussions on sexual and reproductive health, urging sex education to be treated as an essential public health intervention.
“We should not shy away from the reality, if we have teen mothers, it means young people are sexually active. They need accurate information and access to protection,” she stated.Donya likened the urgency of sexual education to COVID-19 awareness, stressing that informed communities are safer and better equipped to safeguard the next generation.
Lady Justice Helene Namisi, a Judge of the high court in Kenya while representing Chief Justice Martha Koome, noted that the court guards every girls right from childhood, education and freedom from exploitation.
The fight against child and forced marriage is a legal and developmental issue as well as a profound matter of justice and human dignity. She added that child marriage robs girls of their innocence, interrupts their education, jeopardizes their health and limits their potential hence subjects them to adult responsibilities and reproductive burdens before they are emotionally and physically prepared.
“Childhood must be preserved. No cultural practice, economic hardship, or social pressure can justify denying a child the right to safety, education, and self-determination,” noted Namisi.
Further, the report revealed that nearly one in three girls, approximately 28%, who were in child marriages are now divorced, facing stigma, isolation, and financial hardships after separation.
