There are still far too many child brides throughout the world: about 15 million girls who marry (or better, are forced to marry) while still under the age of 18. The exact number is not known because many of these marriages are not registered, given the fact that more and more countries have adopted laws restricting the marriage of minors. Once married, the girls have to leave school and many get pregnant very quickly, risking not only their own lives but the lives of their unborn children.
Thanks to the work of various coalitions of non-government organizations and associations, as for example Girls not Brides (a part of the NGO Terre des Hommes, which defends the rights of children), more and more institutions and also public opinion are accusing the phenomenon of marriages involving children as a violation of human rights.