News outlets highlight findings from a UNICEF report on global child marriage trends.

Agence France-Presse: Child marriages set to soar in Africa: UNICEF
“Child marriages in Africa are set to more than double by 2050 unless urgent steps are taken, UNICEF warned Thursday as delegates met in Zambia to discuss how to halt the practice…” (11/26).

Agence France-Presse: ‘Child brides’ suffer, but African Union seeks to end custom
“…[Last] week, the African Union [met] in Zambia to hold its first conference on ‘Ending Child Marriage in Africa’ — a small step in efforts to protect girls…” (Barbier, 11/25).

Al Jazeera America: Africa falling behind on fight against child marriage
“…The report, released at the start of the African Union Girls Summit in Zambia on Thursday, predicts that without significant shifts in policy, the number of child brides in Africa will increase from 125 million to 310 million by 2050…” (Moskowitz, 11/25).

CNN: Africa’s child brides expected to double by 2050
“…Slow rates of reduction and ballooning populations are the main cause of the projected increases. Early marriage is most prevalent in a vast belt across Africa stretching from Somalia in the east to Guinea in the west…” (McKenzie, 11/26).

Deutsche Welle: U.N. predicts rise in African child brides by 2050
“…With a higher likelihood of contracting HIV, young girls married early could also face a host of health complications. The report added that it was important to increase girls’ access to reproductive health services in order to ensure that they had fewer, safer pregnancies…” (11/26).

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Number of African child brides to soar by 2050 as population grows: U.N.
“…African governments also need to make sure that more girls’ births are registered so that their age is known, and to enforce laws prohibiting child marriage, UNICEF said…” (Migiro, 11/25).

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Factbox: Child brides in Africa to more than double by 2050
“…Here are some facts about child marriage in Africa and worldwide. * Every year 15 million girls around the world marry before the age of 18, about 41,000 a day or 28 every minute…” (Guilbert, 11/25).

U.N. News Centre: Child brides in Africa could more than double to 310 million by 2050 — UNICEF
“…The statistical report, A Profile of Child Marriage in Africa, reveals that in all other regions of the world, current rates of reduction and demographic trends mean there will be fewer child brides each year. By 2050 Africa will surpass South Asia as the region with the highest number of women aged 20 to 24 who were married as children…” (11/26).