Responding to child marriage in times of protracted conflict and humanitarian setting: programmatic gaps and opportunities

Child marriage is rooted in gender inequality, discriminatory institutions, as well as social norms, and a lack of opportunities for adolescent girls and their families. During humanitarian crises, these drivers are often exacerbated, usually increasing the prevalence of child marriage.

Rise in child marriage in humanitarian settings is generally attributable to increased levels of insecurity and violence – including heightened risks of GBV – school closures and lack of education opportunities, breakdowns in social and health services, increased poverty and a decline in livelihood opportunities.

Families may force their daughters into child marriage as a negative coping strategy, to reduce the economic burden on the household and/or to gain bride wealth, to avoid the stigma of pregnancy outside marriage, and to protect girls because of concerns about their safety and about family honor.

Compounded crises can have a dire impact on the mobility of girls, who are the first to be pulled out of school for security reasons. The physical threat of crisis limits girls’ access to education. Limited education and increased confinement lead to increasing the sense that the girls in the family will become a financial burden. This in turn limits access to medical care, sexual and reproductive healthcare, psycho-social support and other protection mechanisms.

This RAF webinar brought together experts from various humanitarian, research and academic backgrounds who are working to prevent child marriage in turbulent contexts such as Yemen, Somalia, Lebanon, Gaza and Afghanistan. By exchanging lessons learned and best practices, we can foster a comprehensive understanding on how child marriage can be addressed and mitigated in conflict or crisis-affected settings and humanitarian contexts.