What is child marriage and why does it happen?
Child marriage refers to all marriages or unions in which one or both spouses are under the age of 18 and or were not able to give their free and informed co…
End Child Marriage
Through the #EndChildMarriage campaign, we’re standing with girls to dismantle the harmful norms that force them into child marriages and deny them their childhood.
Why now?
The world is failing girls. Globally,12 million are married before their 18th birthday every year. That’s 1 every 3 seconds. Child marriage steals girls’ childhoods and shuts down their futures.
Without accelerated action, 150 million more girls could be married by 2030.
In many communities, child marriage is still seen as normal, even necessary. But girls aren’t backing down. They’re raising their voices and leading change.
Led by girls, #EndChildMarriage is about action to amplify their voices and build a world where equality for girls leads to progress for all.
Girls and young women speak out about child marriage
Our 2025 State of the World’s Girls Report “Let me be a child, not a wife” centres on the voices of 251 girls and young women across 15 countries who were married as children. Their stories reveal the realities behind the statistics and the urgent need for change.
“Getting married before the age of 18 is not right. It disrupts education. Within a year or 2 of marriage, a child is born. At that time, I am still a child myself.”
Farhana, 21, Bangladesh
Of the girls we spoke to:
- Nearly three-quarters are already mothers.
- 1 in 4 had no say in their marriage.
- Almost half were married to men 5 or more years older.
- Many were forced to leave school, became isolated from support and were denied access to healthcare and contraception.
Despite the challenges, these girls are determined to protect their own children from the same fate. Not a single girl we spoke to said she would want her child to marry before the age of 18.
“I was married off young. I wasn’t allowed to study or progress in life — I was deprived of everything. But I won’t let that happen to my daughter.”
Juna, 24, Nepal
#EndChildMarriage demands for leaders
This is more than a campaign — it’s a year of action to end child marriage. Girls are leading the way, from sharing their stories, to leading projects in their communities, to demanding action from leaders. We are standing with them and calling for governments, donors and community leaders to take urgent action to end child marriage by:
- Investing in programmes that address the harmful social beliefs, practices and expectations that drive child marriage.
- Ensuring that married girls and girls at risk of child marriage know their rights, have access to the services they need and opportunities to build the future they choose.
- Targeting support for the most marginalised and hardest to reach married girls, including girls living in crisis and conflict, and girls living in extreme poverty.
- Elevating and funding the work of girl leaders and their movements to end child marriage.
- Implementing and resourcing strong laws and policies to prevent child marriage and ensure support and justice for married girls.
What is Plan International doing to #EndChildMarriage?
We work alongside girls, communities and partners to end child marriage by tackling its root causes, transforming harmful norms and supporting girls to lead change. Through bold, locally-led action, we ensure girls have the power, knowledge and support to shape their own futures.
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