While girls’ health, nutrition and access to education have improved over the last 25 years, even before the pandemic hit, progress to end child marriage and reduce adolescent pregnancy had slowed to a halt. COVID-19 has brought suffering to people everywhere, but its impact is not shared equally.
With reports of gender-based violence increasing across the world (UN policy brief), it is estimated that 9.7 million children may never return to school post‑COVID. And with the number of children living in poverty estimated to climb by around 100 million (UNICEF, Save the Children), for girls today, gender equality feels further from reach than ever.
A dramatic surge in child marriage and adolescent pregnancy is anticipated, with up to an additional 2.5 million girls at risk of child marriage over five years and adolescent pregnancies expected to rise by up to 1 million in 2020, as a result of the economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.
The greatest number of child marriages is expected in South
Asia and the highest number of girls affected by the increased risk of
adolescent pregnancy are likely to be in East and Southern Africa.
The impact of COVID-19 on girls’ futures and dreams of achieving gender equality within their lifetimes depends on how the world chooses to act now. Decisions about how to respond to the pandemic will have lasting consequences.
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