Child marriage is a global epidemic. A UN report on child marriage — released on the first-ever International Day of the Girl on October 11, 2012 — paints a grim picture:

- 1 in 3 girls in developing countries are married before age 18.

- 1 in 9 girls are married before turning 15 years old.

- Today, more than 67 million women ages 20-24 were married as girls.

- And, every year, 14.2 million more girls are forced into marriage.

- If we don’t stop the trend now, 142 million children will be married by 2020.

- And that figure will grow to 151 million in the subsequent decade.

The United States unveiled public and private initiatives to stop early marriage and promote girls education late last year. However, we are hoping the U.S. government will commit to doing even more to end this widespread human rights violation. Please ask Sec. Kerry to commit to increased political and financial investments to end child marriage, and support girls who are already married.

Go to TAKE ACTION NOW and send a message to Secretary Kerry!