Four countries – Bangladesh, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Congo – which account for one-fifth of all child brides worldwide, have committed to eliminate the scourge by 2030

In the past decade, child marriages have decreased by 15 percent, but the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict, and climate change threaten to reverse this trend. This has prompted four countries – Bangladesh, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Congo – which account for one-fifth of all child brides worldwide, to commit to eliminate the practice by 2030

The ministers from the countries in a recent joint article in Lancet agreed that their priorities must include preventing the child marriages.

They have promised a series of actions, including striving to make economic growth inclusive

“To this effect, we will boost investments that foster productivity in employment-intensive sectors, such as agriculture, and policies that improve conditions for workers in the informal economy,” they wrote.

The ministers have also called for promoting gender-responsive social assistance with social protection schemes, focused relief to families through cash and in-kind transfers to keep girls in school and delay child marriage.

“We will pursue active, inclusive labour market policies that emphasise decent work for women. Families who know that girls will be able to secure good jobs with a reasonable and stable income are more likely to keep them in school,” the article reads.

“We will invest in quality, universally available and accessible secondary education that builds higher-level skills among girls, instills a distinct sense of personal worth and agency, and facilitates their successful transition to employment,” it adds.

COVID-19 pandemic alone is projected to push the number of child brides up by 10 million during the coming decade.

Increasing recognition of the harms of child marriage, including perpetuating gender discrimination and inequality, has also led the international community to agree to eliminate this practice by 2030-a target embedded in the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

While worldwide 650 million girls and women alive today were married in childhood, child marriage is most common in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia, where 34 percent and 28 percent of young women aged 20–24 years were married in childhood.