Child marriages in Afghanistan down by 10 percent : UNICEF
Kabul, July 29 : The rate of child marriages in Afghanistan has declined by 10 percent in the last decade but continues to be a challenge which needs multilateral policy intervention, according to a report published by UNICEF on Sunday.
According to the joint study by UNICEF and the Afghan Labour Ministry in both urban and rural areas of five of the 34 Afghan provinces, 42 percent families have at least one member who was married before the age of 18, although the figure varies widely from region to region, reports Efe news.
"Child marriage is slightly declining in Afghanistan, and we commend the relentless efforts of the government to reduce this practice and their strong commitment to child rights," Adele Khodr, UNICEF representative in Afghanistan, said in a statement.
"Yet, further consolidated action is needed by the different actors in society to put an end to this practice and reach the goal of ending child marriage by 2030," Khodr added.
In 78 percent of cases, the father makes the decisions regarding marriage, while 56 percent of respondents agreed that the bride and groom should be consulted about the marriage.
There remains a lack of understanding about the negative impacts of child marriage on girls, particularly in areas such as education, nutrition and economic development.
Khodr said that convincing parents to send their daughters to school was key in reducing child marriage.
"Ending child marriage will break the inter-generational cycle of poverty and will give girls and women opportunities to engage and participate fully in their society," the UNICEF representative said.
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US Consulate in Dubai reportedly attacked
Dubai: Smoke was seen rising from an area near the United States Consulate in Dubai, according to witness accounts cited by Reuters.
There was no immediate official confirmation on the extent of damage or whether there were any casualties in the incident.
Earlier, the US embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, was also attacked. Authorities reported damage to the premises, but no casualties were recorded.
The developments come amid heightened tensions in the region, with Iran continuing to target US interests in the Middle East following deadly attacks launched on Saturday by Israel and the United States.
Near US embassy in Dubai pic.twitter.com/z5VTZNVxNO
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