My grandmother married at 15 in the 1940s. My mother was married at 17 in the 1960s. Their lives show both the strength women bring to their families and the limits early marriage can place on a girl’s choices. They also raise a question we should still be asking in 2026: why should a girl’s future be decided before she is an adult?

Child marriage, meaning marriage or union before age 18, can interrupt education, restrict choices, and expose girls to health risks, particularly when pregnancy occurs early. Poverty, insecurity, gender inequality and social pressure can all contribute. Some families may see marriage as protection or financial relief, but it can come at the cost of a girl’s health, education, and ability to choose her own path.

The practice is sometimes defended in religious terms, but it is inaccurate to treat child marriage as a single, universal rule of Islam. Muslim communities, legal systems and religious interpretations are diverse. Laws, local customs, economic pressures, and how protections are enforced all shape what happens in practice. Faith should not be used to silence discussion about girls’ safety, consent and rights.

Women’s economic roles make the case for change even clearer. Women work across sectors, contribute to household incomes, and are sometimes their families’ sole breadwinners. But a girl’s right to education and independence should not depend on whether she later earns money.

The figures below are the approximate share of women aged 20–24 who were first married or in a union before age 18. They are based on national surveys from different years, so they are not direct, same-year comparisons.

Using a broad Middle East and North Africa (MENA) grouping, available estimates also vary considerably. Some countries lack a recent, nationally representative estimate that is comparable with the figures above.

These are not 2026 measurements. They are survey-based estimates, and the countries were surveyed in different years. Still, the differences show that child marriage is not inevitable or uniform across Muslim-majority societies. Social conditions, laws and access to education differ, and change is possible.

Ending child marriage requires more than legislation, though strong and consistently enforced laws matter.

Religious and civic leaders can also help by challenging arguments that place tradition above a child’s wellbeing.

My mother’s story is not evidence that early marriage is harmless. It is evidence of what women can carry despite the choices made for them. Girls should not have to prove their strength by surviving a childhood marriage. Protecting their right to grow up and shape their own futures is essential to a fairer society.

Sources: UNICEF child-marriage country profiles and global data, drawing on national surveys such as DHS and MICS. The measure is the percentage of women aged 20–24 first married or in a union before age 18. Survey years and data availability differ by country.

About the Author

Farhana Khorshed

Farhana Khorshed is President of NEBAF and a Board Member of the American Muslim & Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council (AMMWEC), which aims to empower female leadership and promote religious freedom.