In the 2008 Child Law the Egyptian government took an important step toward prohibiting child marriage by increasing the minimum age at which girls can marry to 18. Now, new legislation proposed by the Egyptian parliament seeks to reduce the minimum age to just 14 years old.
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International Convention on the Rights of the Child states that anyone under the age of 18 shall be considered a child. However, worldwide in the next ten years, over 100 million girls will marry before they turn 18. In Egypt, even under the current legislation, child marriage remains prevalent.
The destructive effects of early marriage on a girl’s mental and physical development include increased risk of early pregnancies, health complications, and death during labor. Girls who are married young tend to be poorer and may be forced to abandon their education at an earlier date. Early marriage negatively affects their ability to participate socially and economically.