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Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, studies had indicated that around 100 million child-girls were expected to get married within the next 10 years. While the prevalence of child marriage has decreased from one in four girls 10 years ago to almost one in five now, the number is at least doubled in certain third world countries, where 40 % of girls are married before they turn 18 (UNFPA, 2020).

While child marriage exists amongst both boys and girls, it is much less predominant in boys with only one-sixth of child marriages occurring among boys (Unicef, 2021). Girl child marriage refers to the union, formal or informal, of a girl younger than 18 years old with either another child or an adult. The following article summarizes my research, observations on the ground, in addition to conversations I had with those who have seen no other choice than marrying off their daughters at a very young age. Child marriage has devastating impacts on the children involved, robbing them not only of their childhood but directly threatening their lives, health and basic rights, thus limiting their future prospects and development (Unicef, 2021)Īs a Lebanese doctor, having directly witnessed the effects of the war in Syria, the following refugee crisis, and the recent economic collapse in Lebanon, I wanted to further explore the driving causes and effects of child marriage in my home country.

Some of the most prevalent causes include poverty, gender inequality, insecurity caused by war and displacement, as well as certain harmful societal norms, expectations and religious beliefs (Arab & Sagbakken, 2019). The Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with the refugee and economic crisis in Lebanon has led to a staggering increase in child marriages amongst Syrian refugees in the country, where the rate of child marriage has increased four folds since the Syrian conflict began (Monla-Hassan & Yacoubian, 2020). While child marriage is a global issue, there are various country-specific reasons behind the recent increase in child marriage among the Syrian refugees residing in Lebanon.

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