Early marriage denies the world important gains in the quest for women empowerment and better reproductive rights, the United Nations has warned.
The Director of UNFPA, Monica Ferro, said on Wednesday that marrying girls off early denies them an education, which in turn limits their opportunities in life.
“A girl who marries when she is 10 will probably leave school,” Ferro said. “And because she leaves school, she won’t get the negotiating skills, and she won’t get the specific skills which will allow her to then get a better-paid job.”
Ferro also noted that, other than denying girls a right to education, early marriage also affects young women’s health, creating more problems for women in areas affected.
“If she is married at 10, the probability is that she will start child-bearing before her body is even ready for that, not to talk about her mind…This will also increase the possibilities of her going through complications in pregnancy, and complications in childbirth,” she said.
Ferro made the remarks in Geneva as the UNFPA published the State of World Population 2019 report.
The report highlights the threat to women’s and girls’ reproductive rights posed by poverty, conflict and cultures.
This is the first time the report has been published.
