Crisis in the Sahel: adolescent girls face child marriage in Mali, Niger - VIDEO
In times of crisis, adolescent girls are the first ones to suffer. They are often taken out of school and married off to help their families during droughts and food shortages. They are also at increased risk of physical and sexual violence during conflicts.
In this video, Plan West Africa documents the struggles of adolescent girls during recent crisis situations in Mali and Niger.
In the time it has taken to read this article 4 girls under the age of 18 have been married
Each year, 12 million girls are married before the age of 18
That is 23 girls every minute
Nearly 1 every 2 seconds