What I’ve learned about futures stolen from girls, and how that can change if we end child marriage globally

In my work with a global team of passionate advocates and legal experts who are reshaping laws, challenging harmful norms, and standing up for girls every day, I spend days learning, unlearning and mostly questioning. On the International Day of the Girl Child, we came together to reflect on what it really takes to end child marriage, what has worked and what else is needed. Here is what I heard, and what I’ve learned from our experts at Equality Now and the amazing partners that we work with. 

The urgency is real

Child marriage is one of the most pressing human rights issues of our time. It cuts across countries, cultures, and contexts, but the outcome is always the same: a girl loses her childhood, her education, her freedom, and often, her safety. Today, 21% of girls worldwide are still married before they turn 18. At least 640 million women and girls alive today were married during childhood – 12 million girls are married off each year. These numbers represent futures that are being stolen – both from girls themselves, and the societies that are robbed of girls’ potentials and contributions. But they also highlight why we must keep pushing for legal reform, implementation, and accountability.

Bolivia’s breakthrough: When civil society leads, governments follow

On 17 September 2025, Bolivia passed a historic reform that prohibits marriage and informal unions under the age of 18, without exceptions. Until now, adolescents could still be married with parental or judicial consent, a legal loophole that kept harmful practices alive, especially for girls from rural or low-income communities.

The victory was made possible by Bolivian civil society organisations like Comunidad de Derechos Humanos and Ipas, who worked relentlessly to gather evidence and push the issue onto the legislative stage. With legal backing from a policy brief developed by Equality Now, and with champions like Senator Virginia Velasco in Congress, the reform gained traction. 

Sofia Quiroga, Strategic Partnerships and Advocacy Officer for Latin America and the Caribbean at Equality Now, said it best: “This wasn’t something we achieved alone. It was years of coalition-building, public pressure, and persistence. We fought to bring girls’ voices into the process and refused to let the issue fall off the political agenda.”

The President signed the bill swiftly after it passed, signalling political alignment. Camila Didriksen, from Comunidad de Derechos Humanos, reminded us why this matters. “This law tells girls: your life belongs to you. You have the right to dream freely and choose your own path.”

The United States: Legal gaps and hidden harm

Many are surprised to learn that child marriage is still legal across most of the United States. In fact, between 2000 and 2021, over 314,000 minors were legally married, most of them girls, and often to adult men.

As Anastasia Law, Program Officer for North America at Equality Now, pointed out, “The law is inconsistent. A child in the US can be married under certain conditions, but can’t file for divorce or access a shelter without adult intervention. Marriage becomes a loophole that shields abuse and exploitation.”

Despite progress in 16 states that now ban child marriage without exception, significant gaps remain in the rest of the country. Parental and judicial consent are frequently misused, and some states allow marriage in cases of pregnancy, reinforcing the myth that marriage is a solution to early pregnancy. Our recent  joint report published with Unchained At Last, Legal Gaps and Enduring Harm, Analysing the Persistence of Child Marriage in the United States,  demonstrates how these legal gaps persist and what must be done to close them. It is a reminder that no country is exempt from this issue — and that reform is as needed in the global North as it is elsewhere.

Southern Africa: Model laws and momentum for change

In Southern Africa, the statistics are sobering. Countries like Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, and Madagascar have high rates of child marriage. In total, millions of girls across the region are affected.

But the region is also home to one of the most progressive legal frameworks on this issue: the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage and Protecting Children Already in Marriage. This regional law provides a powerful legal standard that aligns with the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the Maputo Protocol, both of which establish 18 as the minimum age of marriage with no exceptions.

Krishna Seegobin, Legal and Policy Advisor at the SADC Parliamentary Forum, described the model law as a catalyst. “It gives parliaments a concrete starting point. Legal drafting no longer begins with a blank page. The model law provides terminology, benchmarks, and alignment with human rights standards, which means faster reform and better protection for children.”

We are already seeing its influence across the region. Countries like Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Zambia, and Mozambique have made strides in strengthening their laws and implementation mechanisms, backed by public pressure and cross-party support.

What works: Lessons from a global movement

From all these regions, a few clear themes emerged:

• Change happens when civil society leads. Local organisations and advocates are often the ones holding the issue on the agenda when governments look away.
• Laws matter, and implementation matters just as much. Legislation is the foundation, but without training for officials, budget allocations, and public education, change stays on paper.
• Collaboration is key. Progress requires coalitions: survivor advocates, policymakers, lawyers, and community leaders, all working together toward a shared goal.
• Every context is different, but the rights of girls are universal. Whether in La Paz, Louisiana or Lilongwe, the harm caused by child marriage looks painfully familiar.

A girl’s future must be free, not forced

This year’s theme for International Day of the Girl Child, #FutureNotForced, is more than a hashtag. It is a vision we must continue to fight for. Because a girl is not a solution to poverty, she is not a safeguard against shame. She is not a bargaining tool or a quick fix to systemic failure, she is a child. And she has the right to dream, to learn, to lead – and to choose her own future.