1 in 5 girls forced into child marriage, says NGO
An NGO says forced child marriage remains a tragic practice that still occurs in rural communities in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
World Vision South Africa has been commenting on the child rights challenges, on International Day of the Girl Child on Monday.
The group's Bruce Layzell says the sad reality is girls aren't safe while walking to school in their own neighbourhoods.
"We see massive amounts of women and it's replicated in South Africa, probably about 1 in 5 girls are forced into child marriage.
"Globally, about 20 girls are forced every minute into child marriage and it robs them of their lives and it robs them of the ability to be their true selves.
"There are laws in place that prevents this and we have to ensure that we cant allow practises such as this to continue and impact the lives of children."
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