Team Members: C. Carr, H. Green, and T. Newhouse*

*Note: The team members contributed equally and are listed in alphabetical order.

Blog Post

Child Marriage in Western and Central Africa 

Why It is Happening and How We Will Stop It

What is Child Marriage?

Child marriage refers to any formal marriage or informal union between a child under the age of 18 and an adult or another child (UNICEF 2021). Child marriage, while prevalent in many areas, is threatening to young girls and makes them more likely to experience social, economic, and emotional challenges that negatively impact not only their health, but also their futures and abilities to engage in society as independent human beings.  

Why is Child Marriage a Problem?

Most girls in child marriages do not progress past grade nine, due to social pressures that restrict them to being housewives and performing domestic duties (Wolfe 2020, UNICEF 2021). This lack of education prevents girls from achieving careers that may lift them out of poverty, creating a cyclic effect. Child marriages also have a much higher rate of domestic violence, in some cases twice as high as adult marriages (UNICEF 2021). 

Because of the nature of child marriages, older men marrying young girls are likely to have had multiple previous partners, which increases the risk of HIV/AIDS transmission. This is compounded by a lack of safe sexual practice education in regions with high rates of child marriage, such as West Africa, due to social and religious taboos around discussing sex (Fakomogbon 2021). Furthermore, the lack of safe sex practices often causes pregnancy, which can have traumatic effects on the underdeveloped bodies of young girls. 

Where is it Happening? 

Child marriage is happening all around the world, but a high percentage of it happens in Western and Centeral Africa. In fact, six of the world’s 10 countries with the highest rates of child marriage are located in West and Central Africa (Fakomogbon 2021). The Average prevalence across this region is 41% of girls are married before they reach the age of 18. 

This statistic is horrifying, As shown in Figure 1, the problem is widely spread across Western Africa, and Africa as a whole. The statistic shown in Figure 1 about Niger is the most astonishing.

Why is it Acceptable?

In West and Central Africa child marriage rates have stayed so high becuase it is socially acceptable. It most occurs in rural areas as compared to urban areas in Africa as well as around the world (UNICEF 2021). Child marriage has been seen favorably because it builds family and communal ties, relieves poverty through dowry payments, and reduces economic stress on a family who then have one less person to provide for. Studies have shown that it also occurs due to the stigma around pregnancies outside of marriage. While there is some policy effort to prohibit child marriage, it is not always widley known, understood, or upheld. This prevents girls or community members from reporting it due to social standards and lack of trust in the judicial system as well as the police force (UNICEF 2021). Ending child marriage will require social and political reform in order to make a lasting difference. 

How Do We Solve It?

UNICEF is making leaps for a better tomorrow through 5 main actions. These actions are supporting adolescent girls through education in school and life skills, promoting community dialogue and social mobility, supporting health and education systems to serve young girls in the community, advocating for policy change in favor of their protection, and assisting government and partners to create a lasting effect (UNICEF 2021). It is absolutely imperative that the social norms in West and Central Africa are changed, because until society begins to recognize that child marriage is wrong, the world will never see change nor any significant decrease in the amount of girls who are married before 18. 

Sources

“Child Marriage.” 2021. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/protection/child-marriage (February 21, 2022). 

“Child Marriage in Africa Persists.” 2018. The Economist. 

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2018/09/25/child-marriage-in-africa-persists (February 21, 2022). 

“Educating Girls, Ending Child Marriage.” World Bank, August 24, 2017. 

          https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/immersive-   story/2017/08/22/educating-girls-ending-child-marriage.

Fakomogbon, Gideon. 2021. “Why Is Child Marriage so Prevalent in West Africa?”Global Citizen.   

          https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/child-marriage-west- africa-explained/ (February 21, 2022). 

Wolfe, Chelsea. 2020. “7 Facts about Child Marriage in Africa.” The Borgen Project. 

https://borgenproject.org/7-facts-about-child-marriage-in-africa/ (February 21, 2022).