Child marriage is continuing to rob millions of girls of their childhood, education, and future, new research by Plan International has discovered.
The report one of the largest of its kind in the world documents the personal testimonies of more than 250 girls and young women from 15 countries who were married or entered into informal unions before they turned 18.
Their own voices, gruff but deeply moving, convey the harsh realities of a practice still widespread in most countries despite its illegality.
I was married young. I wasn’t able to study or progress in life I was denied everything,” said Juna, 24, from Nepal. “But I won’t let that be my daughter’s destiny. She will have a good future one that only comes through education and independence.”
An estimated 12 million girls are married each year before the age of 18, UNICEF says.
The report, State of the World’s Girls 2025: Let Me Be a Child, Not a Wife, includes testimonies from African, Asian, and Latin American girls Kenya, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nepal, Indonesia, and Guatemala. The report reveals how early marriage exposes girls to violence, poverty, and lifelong disadvantage.
Several of the girls interviewed reported being controlled by older partners and frequently subjected to abuse.
Approximately 13 percent said they had encountered violence although researchers think the actual number is probably greater because of stigma and fear in discussing such issues.
Nearly half the respondents reported being married to men at least five years older, and in some instances, the age difference exceeded two decades.
Poverty and social pressure were cited as the main causes of early marriage. Nearly half the girls (46%) said their families saw marriage as a way of reducing economic hardship or safeguarding family honour.
The report also cites the role of social media, particularly in Asia and Latin America, where older men target vulnerable girls online with promises of love or protection through marriage.
Child marriage persists in spite of legal prohibitions in 14 of the 15 countries studied due to weak enforcement, loopholes, and cultural norms that sanction the practice. Underage marriages can still be authorised by parents or local judges in certain places, with no safeguard for girls.
Informal unions unions not registered legally make it even harder to track and help affected girls. Most are denied property rights, child support, or access to justice when relationships break down.
Child marriage also forces girls to drop out of school, terminating their chances of independence. More than one-third of those interviewed dropped out of school once they were married, and 63 percent are currently not studying or working.
Many also reported having no agency over their bodies or reproductive lives, with pressure to conceive soon after the marriage. Gender inequality is exacerbated by child marriage.
Zambia’s Bupe, age 19, recalled: “He used to threaten me, and every time I attempted to respond, he would beat me. I remained silent because I was afraid of what he would do.”
Nearly one in three of the young women in the study are now divorced but even leaving these marriages tends to bring new problems such as stigma, loneliness, and poverty.
“This study shines a stark light on the invisible truths about child marriage, giving a louder voice to girls who are too often silenced,” said Reena Ghelani, Plan International CEO. “Child marriage puts girls at risk of a myriad of harms and denies them their choices and opportunities. Progress remains too slow, and the law alone is not enough.”
She called for increased investment in programmes that challenge damaging cultural attitudes, strengthen child protection systems, and ensure access to education and reproductive health.
“Child marriage is not normal and must never be normalised,” said Ghelani. “It’s a violation of girls’ rights. Every girl is entitled to the chance to shape her own destiny and we won’t rest until that right is realised.”
