“Don’t call it child marriage. It’s pedophilia.”

More than 700 million women alive today were married before the age of 18. It’s estimated that one in five were married before the age of 15. Almost half of all “child brides” live in south Asia and 17 per cent in Africa. Child marriage often ends girls’ education, reduces their lifelong income and exposes them to the risk of domestic violence. Early pregnancy also puts girls’ lives and health at risk; the leading cause of death among girls age 15 to 19 in developing countries is childbirth.