What Marriage Can Look Like

As our wedding approaches (17 days away!!!!!!), I have been thinking about what marriage means and the different forms it takes across the world. This has forced me to face some hard facts:

*All facts and images taken from The Coalition for Adolescent Girls*

Child marriage robs girls of the opportunity for education, skills, and social networks that could empower them for a healthier life and improve outcomes for their children. 

The difference in contraceptive use between married and unmarried adolescents vary regionally and are greatest where married women's contraceptive use is low. For example, in parts of West Africa at least four times as many unmarried adolescents use contraception as married young women. 

In about a dozen countries, at least half of all girls are married as children. This is both a manifestation of their powerlessness and a strong drive of health risks, from early childbearing to maternal mortality to HIV to domestic violence. 

Marriage doesn't look the same for everyone, everywhere and there are things we can do to help young girls avoid child-marriage and the accompanying health risks. Visit The Girl Effect where you can Learn, Give, & Mobilize. Or, join the Girl Effect Blogging Campaign!