12 million, or almost one every two seconds. This is the number of young women forced into marriage every year around the world. Surprisingly, this figure could be linked to climate change, say researchers at Ohio State University.
Dowry, a matter of life and death
Their work, published this summer in the journal International Social Work, is based on around two dozen surveys conducted in Africa and South Asia in recent years. Their conclusions are unequivocal: in regions where the practice of forced marriages already existed, the increase in natural disasters caused by climate change is encouraging families to marry their daughters more.
In these countries, particularly exposed to floods and droughts, people living in rural areas face extreme poverty due to the inability to cultivate damaged land. Under such conditions, forced marriage allows one less mouth to feed and dowry (money, livestock) becomes a matter of survival.
Climate change is putting the lives of these young women at risk
The data speaks clearly: in Ethiopia, a country hit hard by an extraordinary drought for two years, the number of marriages between minors has increased by 119% in the most affected regions, according to Unicef.
As the study shows, this increase (in Ethiopia and elsewhere) is accompanied by terrible consequences for brides: girls are more exposed to the risk of dying due to early pregnancy, but also of suffering genital cutting or mutilation, sometimes imposed before marriage.
Another noteworthy fact is the speed with which these decisions are made, as FranceInfo points out:
What is significant is that the impact of the extreme climate event on the increase in forced marriages is immediate. Much faster than in a war or conflict situation, for example. After a cyclone, when nothing remains, neither home nor land, families can make their decision within a few weeks, or even a few days.
“Climate crisis: in Africa as in Asia, the increase in natural disasters is leading to an increase in forced marriages”
According to the United Nations Population Fund, the only way to sustainably curb forced marriages remains schooling girls.
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
