12 Million Girls Marry Before 18 Worldwide Each Year, UN Says

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said on Saturday that around 12 million girls worldwide are married before the age of 18 each year, calling the practice a human rights violation that requires urgent action.

In a statement, UNFPA said an estimated 640 million women and girls alive today were married during childhood. The agency noted that, on average, an adolescent girl enters into marriage every three seconds somewhere in the world.