Ending Child Marriage Could Add Trillions to World Economy

In Nepal, many children who suffer from malnutrition belong to young mothers. In fact, teen marriages and pregnancies are common and over 23 percent of women give birth before they are 18 years old. Credit: Naresh Newar/IPSBy Roshni MajumdarUNITED NATIONS, Jun 30 2017 (IPS)The benefits of ending child marriage are many—boosting a young girl’s morale and increasing her chances of education and work, and by that virtue, curbing high population rates in developing economies and boosting growth. Still, more than 15 million children, under 18 years of age, are married each year.A new study published by the World Bank and the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) estimates that from now until 2030, the largely outlawed practice of child marriage is going to cost developing countries trillions of dollars.“We haven’t seen real investments needed to end the practise. Policy makers have increasingly acknowledged child marriage as a human rights abuse, but we didn’t have a sense of the economic impact, which we thought might spur increased funding by donors and governments,” Suzanne Petroni, one of the lead authors of the report, told IPS.The burden is borne mainly by poor economies with a large population of children under 18. The UN estimates that Africa, by the end of 2050, will be home to the largest population of children under 18.In the Republic of Niger, for instance, 77 percent of women between the ages of 18 and 22 were married before they turned 18.Give...

Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - June 30, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Roshni Majumdar Tags: Economy & Trade Education Gender Global Headlines Health Human Rights Labour TerraViva United Nations Trade & Investment Women's Health child marriage Source Type: news