142m girls at risk of child marriage, U.N. urges governments to take swift action against child marriage.

142m girls at risk of child marriage, U.N. urges governments to take swift action against child marriage.(Dawn).Calling for zero tolerance towards child marriage, a latest report of the United Nations has feared that the number of girl child marriages will increase dramatically over the next 10 years and more than 142 million girls are at risk of this human rights abuse. 
The number of children marrying each year will grow by 14 per cent from 14.2 million in 2010 to 15.1 million in 2030 if current trends continue, warns the report titled “Marrying too Young: End Child Marriage” released by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
In South Asia alone, the number of child brides is likely to increase from 24.4 million (4.9 million per year) in 2010 to 27.9 million (5.6 million per year) in 2030.
South Asia has the highest prevalence of child marriages with 46 per cent followed by sub-Sahara Africa with 37 per cent. In Pakistan, the report says, about 5,000 new cases of obstetric fistula occur every year, with young girls disproportionately affected. The UNFPA launched a fistula repair project in Pakistan as part of an overall program to improve maternal health and now it is launching another program with focus on ending child marriage and early pregnancy. In Punjab, the UN agency supported the formulation of a youth policy which addresses child marriage and early pregnancy. Youth networks raised awareness in their communities about the danger of child marriage, the report said.

More here "To Young To Wed"

Top 12 Countries Where Girls Are Most Likely to Be Child Brides.

No. 12 India: 47 Percent
With a population of more than 1.2 billion, India has the second largest population in the world after China. India would be ranked No. 1 in terms of the absolute number of young women who have entered marriage before age 18.
No. 11 Burkina Faso: 48 Percent
Home to 16.4 million people, this western African country is one of the least developed in the world. Nearly 30 percent of rural adolescent women between 15 and 19 have already begun childbearing.
No. 10 Sierra Leone: 48 Percent
With a population of nearly 6 million, Sierra Leone ranked last of 179 countries on the UNDP Human Development Index in 2008. Until recently, this western African country did not have a minimum age for marriage under customary law.
No. 9 Madagascar: 48 Percent
Malagasy law only required women to be 14 years old to be married before a new 2007 law set marriageable age at 18. In an island country with 21.3 million residents, 34 percent of women begin childbearing while between age 15 and 19.
No. 8 Malawi: 50 Percent
In this southern African country, about half of the women between 20 and 24 years old were married before their 18th birthday. In 2010, women aged 20-24 in rural areas were twice as likely to be married before 18 than those living in urban areas. The U.N. has been working with locals to launch an advocacy campaign aimed at policymakers.
No. 7 Mozambique: 52 Percent
On average, one out of every two girls in Mozambique will be married before the age of 18. The number of child marriages is declining however, with a drop of 4 percent over the past 10 years.

No. 6 Mali: 55 Percent
In this landlocked country of mostly desert or semi-desert, the median age at marriage for women is 17 while for men it is 26. Just over half of Mali’s 15.8 million population lives on less than $1 a day.
No. 5 Central African Republic: 61 Percent

Despite the legal minimum age for marriage being 18 in the Central African Republic, three out of every five girls are married before they turn 18.
No. 4 Guinea: 63 Percent
Guinea’s 10.2 million residents are predominately rural and poor. The median age at marriage for women is 16 while that for men is 26.

No. 3 Bangladesh: 66 Percent
Bangladesh is one of the world’s most densely populated countries with an estimated population of 150 million. This is the country with the highest prevalence of child marriages in South Asia. Despite legislation in place the practice of child marriage is pushed by strong social and cultural norms.
No. 2 Chad: 72 Percent
Child marriage prevalence in Chad is notably higher than the sub-Saharan Africa regional average. Once the girls are married, only 7.4 percent of them are using contraception.

No. 1 Niger: 75 Percent
In this Western African country where women on average give birth to seven children, three in every four young women aged 20 to 24 were married before they turned 18. The United Nations has been working at the community level to tame the social-cultural factors that increase girls’ vulnerability to child marriage.Hmmmm..........AS USUAL the Report LEAVES OUT THE PERCENTAGE OF ISLAMIC COUNTRIES INVOLVED in this INHUMANE PRACTICE.Source : HT: Epoch Times.