Efforts to improve access to family planning need to stop ignoring child brides
As policymakers, donors and advocates from around the world gather for the Family Planning Summit in London, UK, on 11 July, Girls Not Brides is urging the global community to ensure that family planning programmes integrate efforts to address child marriage and improve access to services for married girls.
Girls Not Brides chair Mabel van Oranje, who will be moderating a panel on adolescent health at the Summit, said that this joined-up approach is desperately needed.
“Child brides are often forgotten when it comes to family planning services,” she said. “Unless we make increased efforts to include them and also to end child marriage, we won’t make progress on family planning goals.”
Five things you need to know about child marriage and family planning.
In the time it has taken to read this article 8 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