The human costs of child marriage are well-known; around the world, child brides are, on average, less educated, poorer and more prone to sexual violence than women who marry later in life. But when the economic impact of child marriage is added to this grim tally, the bill is truly staggering.
According to the International Center for Research on Women and the World Bank, ending the practice of child marriage would save billions of dollars in annual welfare expenditures, resulting in global savings of more than $4 trillion by 2030. Simply put, the world cannot afford to allow child marriage to continue.
Many governments have already recognized this. In Indonesia, for example, where the economic impact of child marriage is negatively affecting long-term growth forecasts, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has vowed to outlaw the practice, a significant pledge in a country where 14 percent of girls are married before their 18th birthday.