There are flowers everywhere. The bride and groom wear beautiful clothes. Family members look on proudly. It seems like Lily’s wedding will be the beginning of a lifetime of love, happiness and fulfillment.
She’ll remember this day forever - but for all the wrong reasons. Watch Lily’s unforgettable wedding video below.
A wedding day she'll never forget
A wedding day she'll never forget - for all the wrong reasons.
Child marriage: not just a story
Lily’s experience of child marriage involved acting for a video produced by UNICEF and Bridal Musings. Her glamorous wedding ceremony is in stark contrast with the harsh reality of child marriage for kids all around the world.
While the highest prevalence rates of child marriage are in Africa and South Asia, UNICEF hopes that portraying a girl who may not seem at risk of child marriage in a highly stylised "Western" wedding video will provoke conversations on equal rights for girls everywhere.
Because for the 32,000 girls under 18 who will be married today, and the millions more who have already married as children, this story is real. Their days as child brides are more likely spent working full-time, tending to domestic duties or looking after children of their own.
Girls who experience child marriage are more likely to be out of school, suffer from health issues, and be victims of domestic violence. They’re more likely to contract HIV/AIDS, experience complications during pregnancy or childbirth and have children who are stillborn or die very young.
12 million girls will be married this year. This will become their daily reality.
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