The number of girls at risk of child marriage over the next 10 years has increased to 110 million as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This number increased from 100 million due to pandemic-related poverty and education disruptions, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director Natalia Kanem said in a press release issued to mark the annual International Day of the Girl Child on Tuesday.
International Day of the Girl Child empowers and amplifies the voices of girls and recognises the importance, power, and potential of adolescent girls by encouraging the creation of more opportunities for them.
Kanem said a girl’s life should begin as an open book in which she writes her own story, adding that if girls are nurtured, encouraged, and supported as they move through life chapter by chapter, they have a better chance of recognising that they deserve opportunities and options.
‘It is these girls who grow up to become women who make laws and make noise, who break records and break barriers, who inspire movements and ignite change. They tell the next generation of girls, from protesting to leading countries, to take up space. Globally, nearly twice as many girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are not in employment, education, or training as boys of the same age,’ she said.
Kanem went on to say that if all girls finished secondary school, child marriage would drop by 66 per cent, and girls can get the future they deserve by investing in quality education, ensuring decent work for women, and dismantling harmful gender norms and stereotypes.
“Rather than ignoring a girl, shine a spotlight on her. Instead of silence, give her a microphone. Listen to what she has to say. Give her the opportunity to shape her own destiny and be a force for good,” she stated.