Tens of thousands of girls across Asia were forced into child marriages because of their families falling into distress caused by Covid-19.

Child marriage has long been prevalent in Asian communities such as Indonesia, India and Pakistan, but the number of child marriages has steadily declined thanks to educational propaganda and medical support from

However, these advances are being eroded by the impact of Covid-19.

"All of our achievements over the past decade are being eroded," said Shiprea Jha, Asia regional head of the NGO Girls Not Brides (GNB-Girls Not Her

Poverty, lack of education and instability are the causes of child marriage, even in stable times, and crises have exacerbated the problem.

The GNB warns that if countries do not take urgent measures to address the impact of Covid-19 on the socio-economy, there will be another 13 million child marriages in the next decade.

In Asia, the charities say the child marriage storm has begun, tens of thousands of people are estimated to have been affected without collating data.

"The number of child marriages increased during the Covid-19 blockade. Unemployment and job loss were rampant. Families could barely afford to live, so they thought that the best way would be to let young girls go get them.

Muskaan, 15, was forced to marry a 21-year-old neighbor from his parents.

"My parents are very poor, what else can they do? I fought hard but finally gave in," she said, crying as she cried.

Child Relief warns that violence against girls and the risk of raping minors "may become a bigger threat than nCoV".

As education is seen as a central cornerstone in the fight against child marriage, activists warn that blockade orders are leaving hundreds of millions of children out of school and girls in the world's poorest regions.

Earlier this month, 275 former global leaders, educators and economists, urged governments and international organizations such as the World Bank to make sure Covid-19 did not create "a generation.

"Many of these children are teenage girls. Going to school and going to school is the best way to combat child marriage as well as hope for a life that opens up many opportunities," the open letter said.

In India, activists report an increase in the number of family forced children to marry because they see it as a solution to the financial hardship caused by Covid-19, without being aware of the consequences.

"We also see a lot of child marriages because the groom's family provides money or assistance in some form. These families are not very knowledgeable about the concept of human trafficking, which is a worrying trend," Singh said.

Jha, the head of the GNB, agrees that economic pressures are part of the problem, but emphasizes child marriage is complex, especially in Asia, where many consider leaving school free of youth.

"The biggest fear of families is that girls in the house can get close to a certain boy, start getting sexually started or become pregnant. This situation always goes hand in hand with family honor," she said.

The problem was exacerbated, she said, as the government shifted resources from important areas such as education, family planning and reproductive health to the fight against Covid-19.

Indonesia's family planning agency warns the country, with a population of 270 million, could see a boom in births next year, as schools close and access to contraception is limited.

Lia, 18 years old, is not old enough to marry but was forced to marry twice.

Lia escapes from that unfortunate situation and finds a new love, but the dream of a career that flies high again is shelved.

"I dreamed of becoming a flight attendant," said Lia.

"But she failed and ended up in the corner of the kitchen," Randi, Lia's new husband, interrupted.

Indonesia, which has the highest rate of child marriage in the world, last year raised the legal age of marriage from 16 to 19 for both sexes, to address this issue.

Indonesia's Islamic authorities allowed more than 33,000 child marriages in the first half of this year, compared with a total of 22,000 for 2019, according to Indonesia's Ministry of Empowerment of Women and Children.

Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi also vowed to increase the marriage age of India from 18 to 21, but the GNB organization thinks these moves are difficult to implement because they do not address the underlying cause.

UNICEF affirms that ending child marriage will break the cycle of poverty that has been vicious for many generations.

"Empowered and well-educated girls are better able to nurture and care for their children, create smaller and more prosperous families. When girls are allowed to live at the right age, everyone