A pandemic within a pandemic
(Courtesy of Kim Haughton)
Rates of child marriage are surging during the COVID-19 crisis. Here’s what leaders should do to help.
The global pandemic presents unprecedented challenges for all of us, from changing our day-to-day lives to increasing rates of unemployment. For many girls, the long-term consequences will be catastrophic; the COVID-19 crisis threatens to force millions of girls out of school and into unwanted marriages.
According to a recent U.N. report, the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to 13 million child marriages over the next decade. Research suggests that over four million more girls will be at risk of child marriage in the next two years due to the coronavirus pandemic and that this crisis could undo the decades of progress to end child marriages. Malala Fund estimates 20 million more secondary school-aged girls could be out of school after the crisis has passed, many who will get married instead of returning to their education.
“For many girls, the long-term consequences will be catastrophic; the COVID-19 crisis threatens to force millions of girls out of school and into unwanted marriages.”
Child marriage was already in a state of emergency before the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 700 million women alive today were married before their 18th birthday. More than one in three of them entered a union before the age of 15.
Growing up in Iraq, I saw how families of all ethnicities and religions normalized child marriage. I saw how the practice impacts girls' overall well-being and health. Many child brides lost their freedom; their families prevented them from visiting anywhere but their parents’ houses. Many faced physical and sexual violence at the hands of their husbands and in-laws.
According to a UNICEF report, girls who marry before 18 are more likely to experience domestic violence and less likely to complete their education. Lack of education often makes girls dependent on their spouses or in-laws, making it harder for girls to escape the union even if they are abused.
As the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to force even more girls into child marriage, leaders must act before we lose a generation of girls. Here’s how they can help.
Improve access to helplines. Governments should include gender-responsive measures in their COVID-19 response plans, including increasing funding for helplines and safe shelters. Girls are out of school and stuck in households where they cannot report forced marriages. They need to have access to safe shelters and helplines and they need to be aware of their rights and laws.
Increase support for girls’ education. Education is proven to be the most effective way to eradicate child marriage. It equips girls with the tools and knowledge they need to thrive and become financially independent, breaking the cycle of poverty. While schools remain closed due to COVID-19, governments need to make sure girls are supported and are given the necessary technologies to finish their education at home. This means investing in innovative remote learning programs, like radio and pre-recorded lessons that could be shared among students. In smaller towns and villages, school officials often don’t report the dropout rates until a few years later. We need better data that captures the state of girls’ education in these communities.
“Policymakers and community leaders need to ensure decisions about women and girls are made by women and girls.”
Ensure decisions about women are made by women. Policymakers and community leaders need to ensure decisions about women and girls are made by women and girls. We know the challenges we face, yet decisions about our future are often made without our input. Governments at every level need to include the voices of women and girls when creating COVID-19 response plans to ensure they address practices such as child marriage.
Implement the laws and policies. Many countries have laws and policies that recognize child marriage as a crime and a human rights violation, yet governments don’t enforce or monitor them. This is especially true in rural areas, where child marriage occurs most often. Governments needs to invest in robust and strong legal systems to implement the laws and policies that can prevent child marriage.
Education is one of the most powerful tools to prevent and eradicate child marriage. Girls are raised to believe we are a burden on our parents and society, therefore we agree to everything they tell us to do, from child marriage to withdrawing from school. Governments need to protect our rights so that girls in every community and country can stand up and show that we are assets and not liabilities.
If you want to end child marriage, keep girls in school.
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