Married marriages multiply – UNICEF

Ho, June 11, GNA – About 115 million
boys and men from all over the world were married, 23 million of them
before the 15th grade, according to the very first badysis on child marriage,
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Using data from 82 countries, the
study brings the estimated total number of child marriages to 765 million,
UNICEF has revealed.

"Marriage steals childhood," said the executive
Director Henrietta Fore added: "Brides and grooms are obliged to take adults
responsibilities for which they may not be ready. "

The study, copy to the Ghana News Agency,
discovered that child marriage among boys was in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin
America and the Caribbean, South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific.

Data indicate that 28% of men in
the Central African Republic were married as children, which ranked first among men
child marriages.

He said that at 19%, Nicaragua was the
second and Madagascar the third, at 13%.

"Early marriage brings early fatherhood and
with this added pressure to provide a family – cut short education and
job opportunities, "said the head of UNICEF.

Despite the new information, the girls
remained disproportionately affected, with one in five young women
aged 20 to 24, married before the age of 18, compared to 1 in 30
men, the study said.

He then said that prevalence, causes and
the impact of child marriage on girls had been the subject of many studies.
research has been conducted on child marriage in boys.

The study says it was clear though that
children most at risk came from the poorest households, lived mainly in
rural areas and had little or no education.

"As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the
adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, we must remember that
marry boys and girls while they're still kids goes against the
rights in the Convention, "said Mrs Fore.

"Through research, investment and
empowerment, we can put an end to this violation, "she said.

GNA