As the world observes the 16 days campaign against gender-based violence, a number of cases have been highlighted to show how girls and women across the women suffer just because of their gender.
Among these forms of gender-based violence is child marriage, which denies children the right to be children and take away from them the opportunities for education and a better life. It also exposes them to risk of violence at the hands of their usually older and powerful husbands.
A recent report by Girls Not Brides revealed that globally, more than 700 million women alive today were married as children and 17 per cent of them, or 125 million, live in Africa. It added that about 39 per cent of girls in sub-Saharan Africa are married before the age of 18 and all African countries face the challenge of child marriage.
Scroll through to find out the five African countries that have the highest rates of child marriages.
