One in four girls out of school gets married by 18 years - report

One in every four girls out of school in Kenya will be married before their 18th birthday, a report by Girl Child Network has revealed.

In a presentation to mark International Day of the Girl Child 2024 and the launch of Gender and Education Movement, Girl Child Network Executive Director Mercy Musomi noted that a girl who finishes secondary school is six times less likely to marry young.

“Education is one of the most effective ways to combat child marriage and the high rates of HIV that accompany it. When girls stay in school, they avoid the economic and health risks of getting married early,” she said.

Musomi further said a girl with an extra year of education can earn 20 per cent more as an adult.

“Educated mothers are more than twice as likely to send their children to school as compared to uneducated mothers,” she added.

“But education doesn’t stop with girls. Parents, school leaders, community leaders and teachers also need to be educated on the benefits of enrolling and retaining girls in school.”

International Day of the Girl Child is observed on October 11 every year as a global event dedicated to raising awareness about the unique challenges girls face worldwide and to promote their empowerment.

The 2024 theme is “Girls' Vision for the Future” which is a call for urgent action and persistent hope, driven by the power of girls' voices and vision for the future.

Musomi added that early marriage means that the girls are more likely to become HIV positive.

“A study in one region of Kenya showed that 33 per cent of married girls were HIV positive, compared to 22 per cent of sexually active unmarried girls,” she said.

Girl Child Network is a community-based organisation established in 1995 after the Fourth World Conference on Women, in Beijing by participating Kenyan civil society organisations.

The aim was to facilitate implementation of the Beijing Plan of Action, specifically Article 12, (The Girl Child) and to coordinate Child Rights programming in Kenya, with emphasis on the girl child.