Child marriage could be history by 2030, or last 300 more years

Abstract

By age 18 years, Lalitbai was a married mother of three children. She became a child bride when she was 13 years old. At age 32 years, Lalitbai was a widow and cast out of her extended family. With no money or education, she worked tirelessly as a day labourer, eventually starting her own small bakery. She now speaks openly, with neighbours and in local gatherings, about stopping child marriage. Lalitbai lives in India, the country with the largest number of child brides worldwide. 1 UNICEFIs an end to child marriage within reach? Latest trends and future prospects, 2023 update. United Nations Children's Fund, New York, NY2023https://data.unicef.org/resources/is-an-end-to-child-marriage-within-reach/Date accessed: May 3, 2023 Google Scholar Yet India is also making progress in reducing child marriage. According to UNICEF's Is an End to Child Marriage within Reach? Latest Trends and Future Prospects, 2023 Update, released on May 3, 2023, since 2012, the percentage of young women aged 20–24 years who were married as children worldwide has fallen from 23% to 19%, and a substantial portion of this progress is driven by reductions in India. 1 UNICEFIs an end to child marriage within reach? Latest trends and future prospects, 2023 update. United Nations Children's Fund, New York, NY2023https://data.unicef.org/resources/is-an-end-to-child-marriage-within-reach/Date accessed: May 3, 2023 Google Scholar In the past decade the prevalence of child marriage in this country has declined from 38% to 23%. 2 UNICEFEnding child marriage: a profile of progress in India, 2023 update. United Nations Children's Fund, New York, NY2023https://data.unicef.org/resources/ending-child-marriage-a-profile-of-progress-in-india-2023Date accessed: May 3, 2023 Google Scholar