A new United Nations Population Fund survey of 42 mainly Islamic countries found that more than a third of all girls under the age of 18 in them are married -- many against their will -- the Newser website reports today (March 9, 2013).
Niger has the highest percentage, with 75 percent of its girls marrying before they turn 18.
Other nations with high numbers include Chad (68%), Bangladesh (66%), South Sudan (50%), and India, which -- thanks to its huge population -- has the most child brides.
Human Rights Watch released a report yesterday focusing on South Sudan, blaming child marriage for its "pronounced gender gaps in school enrollment" and "soaring maternal mortality rates," and presenting testimony from one girl forced to marry a 75-year-old man at the age of 15.
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