A new report by the charity Save the Children says one in every four children are being denied a childhood.
The Stolen Childhood report found up to 700 million children have had the promise of a full childhood brought to an early end—many of them in West and Central Africa despite recent progress in the last 30 years.
“Although most of the lowest ranking countries are located in West and Central Africa, there are signs of hope and progress,” said Jim Emerson, regional director for the charity in West and Central Africa.
“In fact, since 1990, the region has cut deaths under the age of five by half. This shows that by making deliberate choices to invest in children’s health and well-being change is possible."
The charity blames extreme violence and conflict often driving families from their homes, early marriage and pregnancy, child labour, poor health and inability to go to school.
For West and Central Africa, Save the Children highlighted early marriage as one of the “worst forms of child abuse, denying girls an education and often subjecting them to health consequences.”
Today, around four in 10 girls are married before age 18 in both regions, down from five in 10 in 1990, but the practice still ends the childhoods of over a million girls in the region, according to the charity.
The United Nations estimates a combination of growing child population and a slow decline of early marriage across Africa means that by 2050 almost half of all girls married before they are 18 will be african.
Stolen Childhoods reveals that early marriage rates and out-of-school rates tend to go hand-in-hand in West and Central Africa.
“Our findings tell us that getting, and keeping, girls in school has an especially strong protective effect against early marriage,” said Emerson.
“A girl who remains in school will be able to complete her education, creating the opportunity for a generation of future leaders and a positive cycle of progress for the region as a whole.”
The charity has called on government to translate the African Union and United Nations commitment to end child marriage to “concrete, tangible and measurable actions.”
