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1A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean I
A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean
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2 I A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean
The photos in this publication are drawn from an award-winning communications campaign on child marriage launched by UNICEF Dominican Republic entitled, ‘The Worst Soap Opera’. It used an innovative soap opera-style of storytelling to challenge social tolerance and shift perceptions on child marriage. ‘The Worst Soap Opera’ tells the story of two adolescent girls who find themselves forced into child marriage with older men to escape poverty and violence. The campaign won three awards at Cannes Lions 2018, the most important international festival of advertising and creativity. ©
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3A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean I
Child marriage in the global development agenda
Child marriage is a violation of human rights.
Every child has the right to be protected from
this harmful practice, which has devastating
consequences for individuals and for society.
Child marriage is now firmly on the global
development agenda, most prominently through its
inclusion in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)
target 5.3, which aims to eliminate the practice
by 2030. Although indicator 5.3.1 measures child
marriage among girls, the practice occurs among
boys as well. Regardless of gender, marriage
before adulthood is a breach of children’s rights.
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
TARGET 5.3Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation
INDICATOR 5.3.1Proportion of women aged 20 to 24 years who were married or in a union before age 15 and before age 18
SDG 5
4 I A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean
9
Key facts
Child brides are more likely to reside in rural areas, to live in poor households and to have less education.
One in four young women in Latin America and the Caribbean were first married or in union before their 18th birthday.
The majority of women who married in childhood gave birth before their 18th birthday; 8 in 10 did so before they turned 20.
Child marriage in Latin America and the Caribbean most often takes the form of an informal union, in which a girl lives with a partner, rather than a formal marriage.
Among boys, countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have some of the highest levels of child marriage worldwide. Nine of the 10 countries with available data show levels above the global average.
If the observed trend continues, by 2030 Latin America and the Caribbean will have among the world’s highest levels of child marriage, trailing behind only sub-Saharan Africa.
While other regions have made progress in reducing child marriage, the prevalence in Latin America and the Caribbean has remained stagnant for 25 years.
5A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean I
One in four young women in Latin America and the Caribbean were first married or in union before their 18th birthday. The region’s prevalence is above the global average, but lower than that of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
FIG. 1 Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years who were first married or in union before ages 15 and 18, by region
CaribbeanLatinAmerica
14
30
20
40
60
80
100
25
5
WorldWest andCentral Africa
Married before age 15
Married at or after age 15 but before age 18
40
15
Eastern andSouthern
Africa
34
9
SouthAsia
30
8
Latin Americaand the
Caribbean
25
5
Middle Eastand North
Africa
16
3
Eastern Europe andCentral Asia
11
1
East Asiaand thePacific
7
1
21
5
Current state of child marriage
6 I A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean
Colombia23
Brazil26
Uruguay25
Paraguay22
Bolivia(Plurinational
State of)20
Peru19
Panama 26
El Salvador 26
Costa Rica 21
Nicaragua 35
Guatemala 29
Mexico26
Guyana 30
Trinidad & Tobago 11
Barbados 29
Saint Lucia 24
Cuba 26
Jamaica 8
Haiti 15
Dominican Republic 36
Belize33
Honduras34
Suriname 19
Ecuador20
Less than 10 per cent
10 to 19 per cent
20 to 29 per cent
30 per cent or more
No data
Levels of child marriage vary across Latin America and the Caribbean, from below 10 per cent in Jamaica to over 30 per cent in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras and Belize
FIG. 2 Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years who were first married or in union before age 18
NOTE: Geographical boundaries, names and designations used on these maps do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.
Colombia23
Brazil26
Uruguay25
Paraguay22
Bolivia(Plurinational
State of)20
Peru19
Panama 26
El Salvador 26
Costa Rica 21
Nicaragua 35
Guatemala 29
Mexico26
Guyana 30
Trinidad & Tobago 11
Barbados 29
Saint Lucia 24
Cuba 26
Jamaica 8
Haiti 15
Dominican Republic 36
Belize33
Honduras34
Suriname 19
Ecuador20
Less than 10 per cent
10 to 19 per cent
20 to 29 per cent
30 per cent or more
No data
Colombia23
Brazil26
Uruguay25
Paraguay22
Bolivia(Plurinational
State of)20
Peru19
Panama 26
El Salvador 26
Costa Rica 21
Nicaragua 35
Guatemala 29
Mexico26
Guyana 30
Trinidad & Tobago 11
Barbados 29
Saint Lucia 24
Cuba 26
Jamaica 8
Haiti 15
Dominican Republic 36
Belize33
Honduras34
Suriname 19
Ecuador20
Less than 10 per cent
10 to 19 per cent
20 to 29 per cent
30 per cent or more
No data
7A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean I
FIG. 3a Percentage distribution of girls aged 15 to 17 years who were ever married or in union, by current marital status
NOTE: Only categories with 25 or more unweighted cases are presented. Barbados is based on 25 to 49 unweighted cases. Visiting unions are measured in Barbados, Guyana and Belize as these are countries where the practice is common, but are not an available response category for countries shown in Figure 3a.
Child marriage in Latin America and the Caribbean most often takes the form of an informal union, in which a girl lives with a partner, rather than a formal marriage
Figures 3a and 3b illustrate the types of unions reported by adolescent girls. Data shown are limited to girls aged 15 to 17 years who are or were in a union. Since these girls are under 18, they are all considered child brides.
Figure 3b presents a subset of countries in which ‘visiting relationships’, a social and sexual relationship without cohabitation, are common and were measured, hence the difference in response categories.
Both figures show that most child brides in Latin America and the Caribbean are not formally married, but rather in informal unions.
0 20 40 60 80 100
Currently living with a man Currently married WidowedDivorced or separated Missing data
PeruBolivia (Plurinational State of)
ColombiaHonduras
Costa RicaPanama
ParaguaySuriname
MexicoEl SalvadorNicaragua
EcuadorGuatemala
BrazilDominican Republic
HaitiCuba
0 20 40 60 80 100
Currently in a visiting relationship Currently living with a man Currently married
Widowed Divorced, separated or no longer in a visiting relationship Missing data
BarbadosGuyana
Belize
FIG. 3b
8 I A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean
NOTE: Analysis is based on a subset of 23 countries with available data by residence covering 86 per cent of the regional population of women aged 20 to 24 years; 20 countries with available data by wealth quintile covering 52 per cent of the population; and 24 countries with data by education covering 86 per cent of the population.
Child brides in the region are more likely to reside in rural areas, to live in poor households, and to have less education
Girls most at risk of child marriage
Residence Wealth quintile Education
Rural Urban Poorest Fourth Richest None or primary
Secondary or higher
Second Middle
0
20
40
60
80
100
32
39
22
35
8
27
17 18
51
FIG. 4 Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years who were first married or in union before age 18, by residence, wealth quintile and education
9A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean I
NOTE: The Dominican Republic is presented here as an illustrative example, as it is the country in the region with the highest prevalence of child marriage. Only categories with 25 or more unweighted cases are presented. The values in parentheses are based on 25 to 49 unweighted cases.
Rural women in the poorest quintile who had no more than a primary education were more than four times as likely to be child brides as urban women from the richest quintile with a secondary education or higher (67% compared to 16%).
In the Dominican Republic, the country with the highest prevalence of child marriage in the region, the largest disparities are seen across educational levels and wealth quintiles
(31) 18
59 30
61 32
61 38
67 45
56 16
52 24
56 33
57 37
64 46
Residence
None or primary
Rural
Poo
rest
Sec
ond
Mid
dle
Four
thR
iche
st
RuralUrban Urban
Wea
lth
qu
inti
le
Secondary or higherFIG. 5 Percentage of women
aged 20 to 49 years in the Dominican Republic who were first married or in union before age 18, by residence, wealth quintile and education
Education
10 I A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean
Paraguay Guyana Panama Honduras ColombiaBolivia
(Plurinational State of) Peru
Indi
geno
us
Spe
akin
g ot
her
lang
uage
s
Spe
akin
g on
ly G
uara
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Spe
akin
g G
uara
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nd S
pani
sh
Spe
akin
g on
ly S
pani
sh
Am
erin
dian
Mix
ed r
ace
Indi
geno
us
Bla
ck/A
fro-
desc
enda
nt
Oth
er
Mis
kito
Don
't k
now
/Non
e
Brit
ish
blac
k
Lenc
a
Oth
er
Gar
ifuna
May
a ch
orti
Indi
geno
us
Bla
ck/A
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desc
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nt
Oth
er
Rai
zal f
rom
arc
hipe
lago
(San
And
res)
Q
uech
ua
Aym
ara
Oth
er
Spa
nish
Afr
o-de
scen
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Cau
casi
an
Oth
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on't
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w
Nat
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Mes
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Afr
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Eas
t In
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0
20
40
60
80
100
14
58
222228
75
50 48
3632
26 2521
29
21
(27)21
33
26
35
2722
1619
14
31
(20)17
2724 22
13
Ethnicity has a significant relationship with levels of child marriage in some countries
NOTE: Countries shown here are those for which the prevalence of child marriage varies by ethnicity, and each has a prevalence in one ethnic group that is statistically significantly higher than the level in at least one other ethnic group. Only categories with 25 or more unweighted cases are presented. The values in parentheses are based on 25 to 49 unweighted cases. The category of Black/Afro-descendant in Colombia also includes the Mulatto and Afro-Colombian ethnic groups. In Peru, the category of Native includes Quechua, Aymara, native or indigenous Amazonian, and other indigenous group or origin; the category of Afro-descendant includes Black/Brown/Zambo/Mulatto/Afro-Peruvian people. The categories presented for Paraguay and Bolivia represent language or mother tongue since data on ethnicity were not collected.
FIG. 6 Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years who were first married or in union before age 18, by ethnicity or language
11A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean I
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Lives of child brides
Spousal age gap: One in five child brides is married to a man who is at least 10 years older
Early childbearing: The majority of women who married in childhood gave birth before their 18th birthday, and more than 8 in 10 did so before they turned 20
FIG. 8 Percentage of ever-married women aged 20 to 24 years who gave birth before ages 18 and 20, by age at marriage
FIG. 9 Percentage of ever-married women aged 20 to 24 years who have had three or more live births, by age at marriage
0 20 40 60 80 100
Younger
Partner is:
0-4 years older 5-9 years older 10+ years older Unknown
Married beforeage 18
Married at orafter age 18
Gave birth at or after age 18 but before age 20Gave birth before age 18
Married before age 18
Married at or after age 18
58 28
8 26
17% 4%
Married at orafter age 18
Married beforeage 18
Gave birth at or after age 18 but before age 20Gave birth before age 18
Married before age 18
Married at or after age 18
58 28
8 26
17% 4%
Married at orafter age 18
Married beforeage 18
FIG. 7 Percentage distribution of spousal age gap between women and their partners, among currently married women aged 20 to 24 years, by age at marriage
NOTE: Values in Figure 7 are based on 23 countries covering 78 per cent of the regional population of women aged 20 to 24 years. Values in Figure 8 and Figure 9 are based on 20 countries covering 84 per cent of the regional population of women aged 20 to 24 years.
13A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean I
Reproductive health: Across the region, about a quarter of young women do not have their contraceptive needs met with modern methods, but access to antenatal and delivery care is high regardless of age at marriage
Demand for family planning satisfied with
a modern method
Desired last pregnancy
Four or more antenatal care visits
Skilled attendant at delivery
NOTE: Values are based on 21 countries covering 83 per cent of the regional population of women aged 20 to 24 years for desired pregnancy, antenatal care and skilled attendant at delivery. Values are based on 18 countries covering 48 per cent of the regional population of women aged 20 to 24 years for demand for family planning.
FIG. 10 Percentage of ever-married women aged 20 to 24 years whose demand for family planning is satisfied by a modern method, whose last pregnancy was desired, who had four or more antenatal care visits during their last pregnancy, and who had a skilled attendant at the delivery of their last live birth, by age at marriage
95%93%92%84%54%48%73%76%
Married at or after age 18Married before age 18
95%93%92%84%54%48%73%76%
Married at or after age 18Married before age 18
95%93%92%84%54%48%73%76%
Married at or after age 18Married before age 18
95%93%92%84%54%48%73%76%
Married at or after age 18Married before age 18
95%93%92%84%54%48%73%76%
Married at or after age 18Married before age 18
14 I A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean
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0
20
40
60
80
100
Married before age 18 Married at or after age 18
Never married or in union
8385
78
56
47
70
43
37
50
18
2430
37
27
61
Colombia Peru Honduras Haiti Guatemala
Married before age 18 Married at or after age 18
0
20
40
60
80
10098 99
90 90
84
92
8287
8386
Colombia Guatemala Haiti Peru Honduras
15A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean I
Employment: In four of five countries with data, child brides were somewhat less likely to be employed than women who married in adulthood or who had not married
Empowerment: In countries with data, women are likely to have a say in household decisions, whether they were child brides or not
FIG. 11 Percentage of ever-married women aged 20 to 24 years who participate in household decision-making, by age at marriage
FIG. 12 Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years who were employed and paid cash in the past month, by age at marriage
NOTE: Participation in household decision-making is measured by the woman’s self-reported role as either the primary or joint decision maker in at least one of the following decisions: the woman’s own health care, large household purchases, household purchases for daily needs, visits to family or relatives, food to be cooked each day and how to spend money earned by the husband.
0
20
40
60
80
100
Marriedbefore age 18
Married at or after age 18
Never married or in union
7 5 4
Colombia Honduras Haiti Guatemala
0
20
40
60
80
100
Married before age 18 Married at or after age 18
46
39 41
28
40 37
30
23
NOTE: Values are based on 20 countries covering 49 per cent of the regional population of women aged 20 to 24 years.
16 I A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean
Intimate partner violence: Though most women say wife-beating is not justified, such violence is common. Across four countries with data, at least 3 in 10 women who married in childhood were subjected to violence by an intimate partner
FIG. 13 Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years who believe a husband is justified in beating his wife under certain circumstances, by age at marriage
FIG. 14 Percentage of ever-married women aged 20 to 24 years who were ever subjected to any violence by current or former intimate partner, by age at marriage
17A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean I
While other regions have made progress against child marriage, in Latin America and the Caribbean the prevalence has remained stagnant for 25 years
FIG. 15 Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years who were first married or in union before age 18, by region
Generational trends in child marriage
0
20
40
60
80
100
25 years ago 10 years ago Today
Middle Eastand
North Africa
Latin Americaand
the Caribbean
Eastern Europeand
Central Asia
East Asiaand
the Pacific
World South Asia West andCentral Africa
Eastern andSouthern Africa
18 I A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean
Child marriage has remained steadily at the same level across Latin America and the Caribbean, with exceptions in only a few countries
FIG. 16 Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years who were first married or in union before ages 15 and 18
FIG. 17 Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years who were first married or in union before age 18 in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua
4 5
2425
Married before age 18Married before age 15
25 yearsago
20 yearsago
15 yearsago
10 yearsago
5 yearsago
Today
There is no evidence of progress in most countries in the region. El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua are the exceptions, all with lower levels of child marriage today than 25 years ago. Nonetheless, additional progress is needed.
Honduras Nicaragua
El Salvador Guatemala
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
0
20
40
60
0
20
40
60
Year
19A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean I
If the observed trend continues, by 2030 Latin America and the Caribbean will have among the world’s highest levels of child marriage, trailing behind only sub-Saharan Africa
FIG. 18 Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years who were first married or in union before age 18, projected, by region
Looking ahead to 2030
Today
West and Central Africa
Eastern and Southern Africa
South Asia
Latin America and the Caribbean
Middle East and North Africa
Eastern Europe and Central Asia
East Asia and the Pacific
2030
78
13
17
2527
37
7
11
16
25
30
34
40
20 I A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean
FIG. 19 Percentage of men aged 20 to 24 years who were first married or in union before ages 15 and 18
Around one in five young men were married or in union before age 18 in Belize and Nicaragua
Child marriage among boys
0
10
20
30
40
50
Married before age 15 Married at or after age 15 but before age 18
Belize
22
5
Nicaragua
1
19
Honduras
2
12
Cuba
1
11
Guatemala
1
10
Guyana
2
9
Bolivia(Plurinational
State of)
1
8
DominicanRepublic
1
8
Colombia
1
7
Haiti
0
2
Child marriage is a rights
violation for both boys and girls.
Though little research has been
done on outcomes for child
grooms, marriage places boys in
an adult role for which they may
not be prepared.
Countries in Latin America and
the Caribbean are among those
with the highest levels of the
practice. Nine of the 10 countries
with data have levels above the
global average (3%).
In most high-prevalence
countries in the region, child
grooms were more likely to be in
the poorest households.
In all countries with trend
data, the prevalence has been
relatively steady over time.
21A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean I
Latin America and the Caribbean Joint Programme for a Region Free of Child Marriage and Early Unions (2018-2021) Historically, child marriage and early unions have not been at the forefront of
development agendas in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). But progress
on gender equality is at risk in the region, putting girls in a greater position
of vulnerability. LAC currently has the world’s second-highest adolescent
pregnancy rate; without action, it will earn the title of second-highest prevalence
of child marriage in the world by 2030. Gender-based violence, reasons for
school drop-out, and the risk of perpetuating cycles of inequalities for affected
girls and their children lurk behind both indicators.
The future for girls is bleak without significant investments and concerted
actions by all stakeholders to ensure no girl in LAC is left behind.
To end child marriage, UNICEF LAC targets these gender-based obstacles, in line with
the UNICEF Gender Action Plan’s Targeted Priority on child marriage and early unions.
Aligning efforts
Recognizing the need for systemic change, three United Nations regional
offices – UNICEF, UNFPA and UN Women – have joined forces to prevent and
address child marriage and early unions, formulating the LAC Joint Programme
for a Region Free of Child Marriage and Early Unions (2018-2021).
Now focused on five countries (Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El
Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico), the plan is to expand regionally. Both the
work of UNICEF and that of the joint regional programme prioritize most-at-risk
girls, such as those from indigenous, rural and low-income households.
The programme contributes to fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development and the UNICEF-UNFPA Global Programme to End Child
Marriage; it centres on four evidence-based strategies, described below.
ALIGN NATIONAL FRAMEWORKS WITH
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS ON THE AGE OF
MARRIAGE AND GENDER EQUALITY
Key activities: Work with women’s ministries, parliamentarians and civil society to include measures and commitments in regional/global agendas (e.g., the Regional Conference on Women); Drive evidence-based advocacy to reform the legal age of marriageEncouraging results to date: In Mexico, UN agencies and a range of partners are working to raise the minimum age of marriage to 18. In 2017, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras removed all legal exceptions to the minimum age of marriage (18 years).
SUPPORT GIRLS’ EMPOWERMENT AND
TRANSFORM GENDER NORMS
Key activities: Identify and address harmful beliefs and practices that promote child marriage and early unions; Create safe spaces for girls to develop skills and alternate life choices; Work with parents, community
leaders and service providers to reduce acceptance and perpetuation of child marriage and early unionsEncouraging results to date: In the Dominican Republic, girls’ clubs and national youth leadership camps were organized to foster leadership skills, girls’ empowerment and networks between participants.
PROMOTE POLICIES AND SERVICES THAT
ADDRESS THE DRIVERS OF CHILD MARRIAGE
AND EARLY UNIONS
Key activities: Ensure institutions within key sectors provide robust responses that prevent child marriage and early unions and protect affected girls from social exclusionEncouraging results to date: In Belize, a child marriage and early union road map is being prepared that empowers teachers to provide sexual education; expands economic programmes for at-risk, pregnant and/or married adolescent girls; and revises the law to allow adolescent parents and young people in union to reintegrate into schools.
BREAK THE SILENCE NATIONALLY AND
REGIONALLY
Key activities: Strengthen evidence on the causes and consequences of child marriage and early unions to inform decision-making and advocacy; Convene like-minded partners to generate movements to end child marriage and early unions; Organize evidence-based campaigns to influence decision-making and generate public debate towards rejecting the practiceEncouraging results to date: Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Guatemala are collecting trend data on gender norms to inform actions, while engaging in communications campaigns to raise awareness and promote public dialogue on the issue. In the Dominican Republic, a twitter campaign by UN agencies and partners advocated for legal reforms to the age of marriage; reaching over 7 million people, it coincided with parliamentary debates on child marriage and early unions.
22 I A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean
Technical note To assess the prevalence of child marriage, this analysis used SDG indicator
5.3.1 – the proportion of women aged 20 to 24 years who were married or
in a union before age 18. All references to ‘marriage’ or ‘child brides’ include
both formal marriages and informal unions in which women started living
together with a partner as if married before age 18. For child marriage among
boys, the same definitions apply, referring to men rather than women.
So-called ‘visiting relationships’ are a phenomenon observed in parts of the
Caribbean, referring to a social and sexual relationship without cohabitation.
In this analysis, visiting relationships are considered a form of informal
unions, and the countries for which surveys collect data on this practice are
Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago. In all other
countries, data on visiting relationships are not available.
The percentage of currently married adolescent girls aged 15 to 17 years
should not be interpreted as indicative of the risk of being married in
childhood. Any prevalence measure among girls under age 18 will be an
underestimate of the full extent of the practice, as girls who are unmarried at
the time of the data collection may still marry before their 18th birthday.
Aggregate regional estimates for Latin America and the Caribbean are based
on 24 countries with comparable available data, covering 86 per cent of the
female population in the region. Results of the Brazil National Demographic
and Health Survey 2006 (Pesquisa Nacional de Demografia e Saúde da
Criança e da Mulher, PNDS) are included since Brazil represents 32 per cent
of the female population in the region. For all countries other than Brazil, data
are from 2010 to 2017.
The sub-regional estimate for Latin America is based on a subset of 17 countries:
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El
Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru
and Uruguay, covering 86 per cent of the female population in Latin America. The
sub-regional estimate for the Caribbean is based on a subset of seven countries:
Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, Guyana, Saint Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad and
Tobago, covering 95 per cent of the female population in the Caribbean.
Global estimates are based on a subset of 105 countries with comparable
available data from 2010 to 2017, covering 77 per cent of the global female
population. Regional estimates represent data covering at least 50 per cent of
the regional population. Data coverage was insufficient to calculate regional
estimates for North America and Western Europe.
Confidence intervals are not shown in all figures in this publication. Caution is
therefore warranted in interpreting the results since apparent differences among
groups may not be significant. Key messages were developed taking confidence
intervals into account; in cases where the title indicates that there is a difference
among different groups or countries, it has been confirmed as statistically significant.
Trends in the prevalence of child marriage presented in figures 15 through 17
relied on an age-cohort analysis based on data from the latest available surveys.
Projected values in Figure 18 are based on a continuation of observed progress,
applying the average annual rate of reduction observed in the past 10 years.
‘Childhood’ refers to the period from birth until the 18th birthday.
‘Adolescence’ refers to the period from ages 10 to 19 years.
23A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean I
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This data brief was prepared by the Data and Analytics Section of UNICEF (Claudia Cappa, Colleen Murray, Hyunju Park, Paul Schaettle and Munkhzul Zookhuu) with inputs from the Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office (Shelly N. Abdool). DATA SOURCESUNICEF global databases, 2019, based on Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, Demographic and Health Surveys and other nationally representative surveys, 2006 to 2017. For detailed source information by country, see <data.unicef.org>. SUGGESTED CITATIONUnited Nations Children’s Fund, A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean, UNICEF, New York, 2019.
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24A Profile of Child Marriage and Early Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean I
For information on the data in this brochure:
UNICEFData and Analytics SectionDivision of Data, Research and Policy3 United Nations PlazaNew York, NY 10017, USATelephone: +1 212 326 7000Email: [email protected]: data.unicef.org
For information on child marriage in Latin America and the Caribbean:
Latin America and Caribbean Regional OfficeBuilding 102, Alberto Tejada St.City of KnowledgePanama, Republic of PanamaTelephone: +507 301 7400Email: [email protected]: www.unicef.org/lac