90 percent of girls in the developing world who are pregnant are already married.
Child brides face higher risks of death in childbirth and are vulnerable to pregnancy-related injuries. These complications are the leading cause of death in girls 15-19.
These 12 countries were selected for the Ending Child Marriage project because of their high prevalence of child marriage, government engagement and strong civil society presence.
Population growth in each of these regions means that more and more girls are at risk.
FACT: Child marriage affects whole societies.
To some families, it seems like an only option to protect and provide for their daughters. In times of war, parents believe that marriage is the best and only option to help their daughters survive.
There are many more myths and facts to discover about child marriage. Test your knowledge on child marriage by taking the Zonta Says NO child marriage quiz here.
To create a world where women and girls are equal and empowered, we must achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Without ending child marriage, it is impossible to meet eight of these goals.
Visit https://www.zonta.org/Global-Impact/Advocacy/SDGs to learn more.
When not married young, girls are more likely to receive an education and economic opportunities that will help them to break the cycle of poverty for themselves and their daughters.
Each year, 12 million girls worldwide are married before they turn 18. While this number is slowly declining, progress is not happening fast enough as a girl becomes a bride every two seconds.
Child marriage prevents opportunities for girls to continue their education and affects not only their health, but their children’s health. This effect is felt over generations.
Did this fact surprise you? Test your knowledge on child marriage by taking the Zonta Says NO child marriage quiz here.
FACT: Child marriage is common and takes place across the globe, even in developed countries. It is not rare and everyone is affected when 1 in three girls in the developing world is married by age 18.
Zonta has the potential to reach 2.5 million girls in 12 countries through the Ending Child Marriage project with UNICEF, UNICEFUSA and UNFPA.
To read more about the project, visit http://foundation.zonta.org/EndingChildMarriage.
Members of the Zonta Club of Kathmandu, District 25, have started an awareness campaign on social media alongside local celebrities as part of the Zonta Says NO campaign.
The club has partnered with celebrities who have large numbers of social media followers and who will post their pledge to #EndChildMarriage online for their followers to see. Thirty-two celebrities have joined the club in their efforts and two have already scheduled posts on their social media accounts.
Members of the Zonta Club of Kathmandu hope to reach a diverse audience with this social media campaign.
Members created a Facebook profile frame with the pledge so anyone can use the frame and pledge that way and special stickers were also created. The #EndChildMarriage stickers are given to drivers to encourage them to take the pledge and advertise their commitment on their car window.
While parents often marry off their daughters as a way to protect them from harm, their actions actually put their daughters at a greater risk for violence.
Join us in saying NO 