Alarming rise in rate of early girl marriage

The Daily Star published in its issue of October 30 a briefing of the regional seminar on forced child marriages which pointed to a considerable and worrying rise in early marriages of girls, particularly among Syrian refugees. The seminar ‘Early marriage of girls amidst transition to democracy and armed conflicts’ was organized in Beirut by the Arab Institute for Human Rights in Lebanon and ABAAD association. Participants agreed that the phenomenon of early marriage is an appalling violation of the human rights of girls depriving them of their fundamental rights, namely the right to life, health, education and freedom of choice. They warned this could seriously threaten the well-being and life of both the underage mother and her unborn child/children, in addition to negatively impacting the immediate family, society, and the unwanted human and economic costs that slacken any chances of development.

According to United Nations 2014 statistics, nearly 18% of Syrian refugee girls covered by the survey have married before reaching 18. Similarly, the World Health Organization warned of the biological risks of early pregnancy pointing to the medical implications as being a leading cause of death among girls between 15-19 years. It also noted a 50% increase in the mortality rate of newborns from mothers under 20 years against mothers who became pregnant when they were 20 years and above. (The Daily Star, October 30, 2015)