Ending Child Marriage in Africa: A brief by Girls not Brides

Girls Not Brides is a civil society partnership of more than 400 member organisations that are based in over 60 countries. They work to end child marriage around the world by working at grassroots, national and global levels.

This brief presents an overview of child marriage in Africa. Child marriage is a harmful traditional practice that challenges every African country. High rates of child marriage combined with a rapidly growing population could have devastating human and development consequences. If action is not taken now, the number of girls married as children will double by 2050.

A number of recommendations are given to African governments, the African Union and other regional bodies to address child marriage in a comprehensive and integrated way.