In many corners of the developing world girls as young as 8 are forced to marry, robbing them of their childhood. Instead of playing with friends, dreaming about a career or fretting over a school test, they are thrust into the full burden of domestic responsibility, motherhood and sexual relations.
If current trends continue, 25,000 to 35,000 girls every day will become brides over the next decade.
However, experts at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) say forced child marriage can be eradicated in the next few years.
The potential solutions to end the practice will be part of what ICRW’s Anju Malhotra, vice president of research, innovation and impact, will address during a Thursday hearing before a U.S. human rights commission on Capitol Hill. Malhotra’s testimony will be followed by a special celebration to launch ICRW’s latest publication, Girls’ Speak: A New Voice in Global Development. The report showcases girls’ voices, aspirations and their ideas for ways to improve their lives.
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