UNICEF and UNFPA are working with government authorities in Madagascar to educate both women and men about the need to end the traditional but illegal practice of child marriage. Girls, even sometimes before they are born, are promised to much older males as child brides, with a dowry, such as livestock. The educational efforts focus on the dangers of the practice, how to treat women as equals, and positive masculinity.
Compiled from: "First person: Southern Madagascar, where girls are sold into marriage before they are born," UN News, March 16, 2024.