{
  "id": 13888182,
  "title": "One in five girls still married before 18 – UNICEF",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/one-in-five-girls-still-married-before-18-unicef",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-12T06:14:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch",
    "slug": "punch",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/one-in-five-girls-still-married-before-18-says-unicef/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "According to UNICEF, one in five girls worldwide is still married before the age of 18, despite the agency reporting that 68 million child marriages have been prevented over the past 25 years. The progress, highlighted on the International Day of the Girl Child, is attributed to investments in girls' education, legal reform, and social protection. However, the organization warns that much more needs to be done, emphasizing that every girl deserves the freedom to learn, grow, make her own choices, and define her own future.",
  "summary": "One in five girls worldwide is still married before the age of 18, according to UNICEF, even as the agency reports that 68 million child marriages have been averted over the past 25 years. In a post obtained from UNICEF’s website on Monday, the agency attributed the progress to investments in girls’ education, legal reform Read More:…",
  "key_points": [
    "One in five girls married before 18, according to UNICEF",
    "68 million child marriages prevented in 25 years",
    "Investments in education, legal reform needed to end practice"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Persistent child marriage rates demonstrate that legal and educational reforms have not yet achieved the scale necessary to guarantee every girl the fundamental right to define her own future.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch Nigeria",
        "title": "One in five girls still married before 18 – UNICEF",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/one-in-five-girls-still-married-before-18-unicef-13889956",
        "published": "2026-10-12T06:24:06.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}