Data collected by UNICEF shows a quarter of all Syrian refugee marriages registered in Jordan
now involve a girl under the age of 18. Save the Children said that
extreme poverty and increasing fears of sexual violence among Syrian
refugee communities mean that some parents feel they have no choice but
to marry their daughters to keep them 'protected.'
Child marriage did exist in pre-conflict Syria — at 13 percent of all marriages — but the latest figures show that this figure has doubled for those girls that have fled to Jordan, and that half (48 percent) are being forced to marry men at least 10 years older than they are.
"Child marriage is devastating for those girls concerned," said Save the Children President and CEO Carolyn Miles.
"Girls who marry before 18 are more likely to experience domestic
violence than their peers who marry later, and they have much more
limited access to sexual and reproductive health, putting their young
bodies at extreme risk if and when they become pregnant."
Save the Children's new report, "Too Young to Wed: The Growing Problem of Child Marriage Among Syrian Girls in Jordan,"
spells out a number of reasons why families are opting for early
marriage for their daughters. As refugees, Syrian families are reliant
on dwindling resources and lacking economic opportunities. At the same
time, they are all too aware of the need to protect their daughters from
the threat of sexual violence. Given these pressures, some families
consider child marriage to be the best way to protect their female
children and ease family resources.
Children
who drop out of school are more likely to marry, and conversely,
children who get married are more likely to drop out of education, with
girls expected to leave school in order to care for their husband and
home, or to begin childbearing and childcare.
However,
"Too Young to Wed" also points to the "determined resistance" of some
refugee families, noting cases of mothers' resolute rejection of child
marriage. Among the reasons mothers gave were that their daughters were
too young, and that they wanted their daughters to complete their
education.
"These girls, who by fleeing the war in Syria
have already been subjected to more than any child should, are at
extreme risk of mental-health issues resulting from social isolation,
stress and abuse," said Miles. "But the repercussions of forced marriage
can be physical, as well as mental – and even deadly. The consequences
for girls' health of engaging in sexual activity while their bodies are
still developing are devastating: girls under 15 are five times more
likely to die in childbirth than fully-grown women."
Save the Children, along with partners, runs community awareness-raising programs with children, adolescents and parents in Jordan, with a focus on preventing child marriage.
Save the Children gives children in the United States
and around the world a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and
protection from harm. We invest in childhood-- every day, in times of
crisis and for our future. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
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