Too Young to Wed

Millions of young girls in the developing world are married when they are still children, and as a result are denied the ordinary experiences that young people elsewhere take for granted: schooling, good health, economic opportunities, and friendship with peers. Despite national laws and international agreements forbidding child marriage, gender roles and marriage systems in many countries dictate the practice, through which girls are deprived of basic rights and subjected to discrimination and health risks. This position paper outlines the causes and consequences of child marriage, as well as policy and programmatic responses to early marriage.