The world marks International Day of the Girl on October 11, 2026, with a call to end child marriage and invest in girls’ rights, as millions of girls continue to face barriers to education, safety and personal development. According to UNICEF’s 2026 estimates, approximately 650 million women and girls alive today were married before turning 18. Each year, more than 12 million girls are married during childhood, equivalent to roughly one every three seconds.
