Pandemic forcing girls in south-east Asia and Pacific out of school and into marriage – study Helen Sullivan
Thousands of adolescent girls across south-east Asia and the Pacific are being forced to leave school and get married instead as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, a charity has warned, saying “a generation of girls could be lost”.
A new report by Plan International Australia highlighted the importance of secondary education for girls, and detailed the increased risk and long-term impacts of child, early and forced marriage in the region.
“At the heart of child marriage is the view that female children are an economic burden,” the gender equality charity’s CEO, Susanne Legena, told the Guardian. “When girls are married, they are viewed as adults and their education typically stops.”
[서울신문] 공부는 무슨, 결혼해라! …코로나는 소녀들의 삶을 파괴했다
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[서울신문] 17살인데 강제 결혼… 코로나가 파괴한 소녀들의 삶
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In June and July 2020, Indiaâs childrenâs helpline saw a 17% increase in distress calls about early marriage compared with the same period in 2019.
Leaving school also disrupts girlsâ sexual and reproductive health education, said Legena, and girls who leave school early are less likely to make sure their own daughters finish school.
According to the report, âGirls forced into early marriage are more likely to experience poverty, violence and early pregnancy, threatening their lives and their health.â
The report found that more than 1.2 million girls from pre-primary to upper secondary school in east Asia and the Pacific could drop out as a result of the pandemic, adding to the already 15 million girls who were not enrolled in school before coronavirus.