Child marriage in West & Central Africa

West and Central Africa is the region with the highest child marriage rate in the world. Six out of the ten countries with the highest child marriage rates are in this region.

This brief summarises what we know about the causes and consequences of child marriage in the region. It highlights existing efforts to address the practice, and provides recommendations on what more needs to be done.

It was prepared by a coalition of several organisations working to end the practice, ahead of the High-Level Meeting on Ending Child Marriage in the region in Dakar, Senegal in October 2017.