More than 700 million women around the world were married when they were younger than 18, according to a new report from UNICEF.
The data, released Tuesday, sheds light on how entrenched child marriages are in cultures worldwide. One in three women were married before the age of 15, and 130 million girls and women have gone through female genital mutilation, The Guardian reported.
The number of underage brides could escalate to 1 billion by 2050 if nothing is done to stop gender inequality, according to UNICEF.
"The numbers tells us we must accelerate our efforts," said Anthony Lake, executive director of UNICEF. "And let's not forget that these numbers represent real lives."
The study comes as UNICEF, the UN's agency for children, holds the first Girl Summit in London to address child marriages and FGM. Though the rates of FGM have decreased, more than 63 million girls are still at risk of being cut by 2050 if the decline rate stays the same, according to the agency. Most live in countries in Africa and the Middle East.
Mutilation of the genitals, where part or all of the external genitalia is removed, is considered necessary in some cultures to prepare a girl for womanhood. According to the World Health Organization, those reasons include making sure a girl is a virgin, to deter a wife from cheating or for religious purposes.
Yet the health risks of FGM are detrimental, sometimes leading to infection, cysts, infertility and even death.
Jaha Dukureh, 24, was forced to undergo FGM and have an arranged marriage at 15, The Guardian reported. The Gambia native now leads the newspaper's U.S.-based campaign to end the practice.
"When I talk about FGM, it's not about me, it's about the little girls out there. I have a daughter. And I know what this has done to me, and I don't want it to happen to her."
