NewsThere are more than 20,780 girl children between the ages of 12 and 17 in Sri Lanka who are married or in cohabiting relationships before they reach adulthood, according to UNICEF’s Child Marriage Baseline Estimate 2015Meanwhile, 5.3 percent of all registered pregnancies are teenage pregnancies, according to the Family Health Bureau. The letter called child marriage a "grave violation of human rights". They asked the Government to address the root causes of child marriage and teenage pregnancy and to create alternative social, economic and civic opportunities for girls and their families be created. Caption: From left to right: Alain Sibenaler, UNFPA Representative in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Minister of Women and Child Affairs Hon. in Sri Lanka.

Source: Sunday Times October 12, 2016 10:07 UTC