Child Marriage in Jordan: Breaking the Cycle

Protracted Syrian displacement is exacerbating pre-existing drivers of child marriage (gender inequality, poverty, lack of opportunities for girls). Child marriage increases the risk of dropping out of school, early pregnancy, reproductive health issues, social isolation, and abusive/exploitative relationships. Married underage girls are also more likely to be poor. Children who are married unofficially do not have marriage certificates, creating obstacles for the registration of births. The International Catholic Migration Commission proposes several strategies for preventing and responding to child marriage, including: (1) change the behavior of key actors (girls and boys, parents and caregivers, sheikhs, community leaders, courts and judicial staff) through awareness raising; (2) keep boys and girls in school; (3) engage boys and girls as peer-to-peer educators to build the agency of young people themselves; (4) address basic needs to mitigate against the risk of child marriage as a negative coping strategy; (5) increase livelihood opportunities to address the economic drivers of child marriage.