Africa child bride numbers ‘may double by 2050’

The number of child brides in Africa will more than double to 310 million by 2050 unless urgent action is taken, the UN’s children’s fund Unicef has warned in a new report. More than one in three girls are married before the age of 18, mostly in poor rural families, it said. The projection was […]

The number of child brides in Africa will more than double to 310 million by 2050 unless urgent action is taken, the UN’s children’s fund Unicef has warned in a new report.
More than one in three girls are married before the age of 18, mostly in poor rural families, it said.
The projection was based on slow rates of reduction and rapid population growth across the continent.
The African Union (AU) wants to set 18 years as the minimum age for marriage.
The AU launched a campaign earlier this year to end the practice of child marriage and its head, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, told the BBC that the practice can “oppress women”.