MARRIED BY EXCEPTION: CHILD MARRIAGE POLICIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

Save the Children warns that girls in the Middle East and North Africa are at heightened risk of being sold or forced into "tourist" or "pleasure" marriages due to the combined effects of poverty, displacement, and the COVID-19 pandemic. These temporary marriages, often involving young girls and older men, are exacerbated by loopholes in child marriage laws in countries like Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey, and Iraq. Such marriages expose girls to exploitation, violence, and long-term harm to their education and safety. Save the Children’s report highlights the urgent need for stronger law enforcement and the removal of legal exceptions to the minimum age of marriage, calling for a unified international response to protect vulnerable girls in the region.

The methodology for the report included comprehensive desk research and consultations with 123 adolescents, including 75 girls, across refugee and local communities in Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, and Turkey. These consultations involved 17 sessions where the girls shared their knowledge of child marriage laws, their views on their effectiveness, and what changes they believe are necessary to prevent such exploitative practices.