One such country is Ethiopia, home to 15 million child brides.
SBS travelled there and discovered why it's an issue that's persisting in the face of so many positive changes.
In Ethiopia's northern Amhara [[ah-MAH-rah}} region, three out of every five girls are married before their 18th birthday.
Yekaba [[yeh-KAH-bah]]was almost one of them.
She was just 12 years old when her father told her she was set to marry a man nearly twice her age.
Please listen to the full report in Pashto.
