Crises like climate change and COVID-19 have hampered efforts to curb child marriage, according to a UNICEF report.
By the numbers: An estimated 12 million girls become brides every year, with 68 million child marriages averted in the last 25 years.
* Progress has been uneven, with lower incidence in South Asia, but some sub-Saharan African regions still experiencing high prevalence.
The impact: Conflicts, climate change, and the pandemic push families into poverty, increasing child marriages.
* Girls who marry early are less likely to complete secondary education and face a greater risk of staying poor.
* Early marriage also increases the likelihood of teenage pregnancies, with complications from pregnancy and childbirth being the leading cause of death for girls aged 15-19.
This summary was created by an AI system.
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