These girls could have also become Malala Yousafzai or Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, but they didn’t.

They were married off in their early teens, and before they could escape childhood, some gave birth to their own children.

Child marriage is widespread in Pakistan. Girls as young as 13 are married off by their parents or guardians. Poverty, illiteracy, religious beliefs, and cultural norms and pressures are some of the reasons behind this practice. For the young mothers, early motherhood is often accompanied with high fertility, and poor maternal and children health.

Over the past five decades, significant improvement has taken place in battling child marriages.

A relatively much smaller proportion of young girls is married off today than was 50 years ago. Still, much more work is needed to curb such practices to ensure Pakistan’s future mothers and their children can lead healthy and prosperous lives.

Know more: Married off for 'honour': Pakistan's child brides

Teenage pregnancies are not just a challenge for developing countries. Even the US is struggling with the same challenge, with additional complexities.

In 2006, one-third of all teenage girls in the US became pregnant. The US government has been struggling to curb this trend. By 2010, the numbers were down to one in four. Teenage pregnancy, birth, and abortion rates were all down. Greater awareness about contraceptives and their effective use and cultural changes are the reason behind the decline in these numbers.