GIRLS

AND THEIR

PREDATORS

are getting married!


YOU'RE INVITED!

 We are taking the next step to stop this violation of human rights.

 

We hope you will join us as we give girls a chance to have a childhood.

 


FROM GIRLS
            ...  TO WIVES

  • Globally, one in five girls were married before age 18.
  • About 250 million women were married before age 15.
  • Girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are twice as likely to die in childbirth as women in their 20s, and newborn children of younger mothers face greater risks of dying.


WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

Before the wedding

  • Girls with no education are three times as likely to marry by 18 as those with secondary or higher education.

  • Girls at greatest risk of child marriage come from poor families, marginalized groups or rural areas.
After the wedding
  • Early marriage doubles a teenager’s chances of living in poverty and triples the likelihood she will be beaten by her spouse, compared to married adults.

  • 90% of adolescent pregnancies in the developing world are to girls who are already married.
With her own children
  • Over the next 10 years, up to 10 million more girls will be at risk of child marriage because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • For child marriage to end globally by 2030, the rate of progress would need to be 15 times faster than the last decade's pace.

 
OUR STORY

Zonta has supported ending child marriage since 2014, contributing US$2 million to delay early marriage in Niger from 2014-2018. From 2018-2022, Zonta contributed US$3.5 million to the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage – the first private-sector donor to the Global Programme. For 2022-2024, Zonta International has committed an additional US$1.2 million to UNICEF USA to support Phase II of the project.

Zonta has participated in advocacy efforts around the world to shine a light on child marriage through the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign and other partnerships and events.

The Zonta USA Caucus, a member of the National Coalition to End Child Marriage in the United States, is helping thousands of Zonta members and other supporters in the U.S. speak out against child marriage in the United States.

GETTING TO THE DESTINATION
OF ENDING CHILD MARRIAGE


Join Us


Become a member of Zonta International on a supporting or club level and get involved in ending marriage near you.

LEARN MORE


Send a Gift


Monetary gifts are the key way to ensure that programs continue to get funding.


DONATE


Take Action


Take action to end child marriage in the United States.



STOP CHILD MARRIAGE