"UNICEF claims that it 'works in 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of every child. UNICEF has spent 70 years working to improve the lives of children and their families. Defending children's rights throughout their lives requires a global presence, aiming to produce results and understand their effects.' It also says that it believes that 'all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential – to the benefit of a better world.' These are lofty and, to be sure, very worthy goals. A look at who is responsible for implementing them, however, raises many questions.
Saudi Arabia sits on UNICEF's Executive Board. In 2016 Saudi Arabia gave UNICEF $19 million, making the Kingdom the 16th largest donor country. Yet, child marriage remains a major issue in Saudi Arabia.
In Saudi Arabia, there is no legal minimum age for marriage. Although UNICEF's own statistics do not list child marriage as a problem, a few reports suggest that it is quite a large one. As noted above, in one reported case from 2008, a court refused to annul the marriage of a girl of eight. Often the girls are married to much, much older men, and in that case, the girl's 'husband' was 58 years old..."