Girls Not Brides
Somali women and their children wait in a line outside the registration and food distribution point at the IFO camp, part of the Dadaab refugee camp. Hossein Fatemi/Panos.
Child marriage is a critical issue in both crisis and stable contexts.
This brief outlines what we know about child marriage in humanitarian settings (conflict, natural disasters and displacement), highlights a number of initiatives which address it, and includes recommendations on what more needs to be done.
It has been informed by the experience of a number of Girls Not Brides members and partners working in these settings.
The brief comes with a list of useful resources on the issue.
Conflict devastates millions of lives across the world, forcing families to adopt negative coping mechanisms to
survive. It places women and girls at increased risk of sexual violence. Rape, torture and forced prostitution,
sometimes under the disguise of “marriage”, have been reported to be used as weapons of war weakening
families and communities often with impunity from the law.
Child marriage has devastating consequences for girls in these settings. It deprives them of any chance of a bright
future after a crisis.
