Girls are subject to child marriage, female genital mutilation and limited education and as such, are denied equality of opportunities.

Child marriage in West and Central Africa is one of the biggest challenges in the region and has enormous adverse effects on education, health, including sexual and reproductive health, and on the overall development of adolescents and youth.

This report presents key findings from nationally representative surveys conducted in 2004 among 12-19-year-olds in four African countries-Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi and Uganda-with the goal of guiding programs, policies and investments aimed at improving adolescent sexual and reproductive healt