Child marriage

What is the issue?

Child marriage remains a major concern across the MENA region. The region is now home to nearly 40 million child brides, including girls and women who are currently married and those who were married for the first time in childhood. According to UNICEF's 2019 global databases, 17% of women aged 20 to 24 in Egypt, 13% in Morocco, 28% in Iraq, 8% in Jordan, 6% in Lebanon, and 3% in Algeria were married for the first time before the age of 181. 

Some countries have set the minimum age of marriage at 18, but early marriage is still widespread, especially in rural areas, due to social and economic pressures and cultural practices. Some countries have raised the age of marriage to 18, but allow exceptions with judicial approval. Others, such as Lebanon, vary the age of majority according to different religious communities, reaching as low as 14 years in some, which leads to contradictions and high rates of child marriage in certain areas2. 

Ending child and early marriage will take more than law reform, it requires societal and cultural shifts, as well as investment in implementation. 

How does child marriage affect girls and women?

When a girl is married as a child, the consequences shape her entire life:

• She is likely to leave school early, cutting off educational opportunities and limiting future employment options.
• She faces high risks to her health, including early and frequent pregnancies, complications during childbirth, and exposure to sexual and domestic violence.
• She enters into a legal relationship where she typically has fewer rights than an adult woman, including limited ability to initiate divorce or claim financial rights.

Over the life course, early marriage interacts with other discriminatory provisions in family law. A girl who marries early may:

• Become a mother while still a child, often bearing full responsibility for care and domestic work.
• Struggle to leave an abusive marriage because of financial dependence or fear of losing her children.
• If she divorces, face custody rules and financial provisions that leave her without assets or stable income.

In this way, child marriage often sets in motion a cycle of poverty, violence, and disempowerment.

International and regional human rights law

International human rights standards are clear that child marriage is a harmful practice and a violation of girls’ rights. Treaty bodies such as the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women have repeatedly called on states to set 18 as the minimum age of marriage for all, without exception, and to ensure that this is enforced in practice. Key international and regional frameworks include:

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): Recognises the right to marry only with free and full consent of both parties.
• Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC): Requires states to protect children from all forms of harmful practices, including child marriage.
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW): Obliges states to ensure that the betrothal and marriage of a child have no legal effect and ensure marriage occurs only with free and full consent. The Joint General Comment of the CEDAW Committee and the Child Rights Committee on Harmful Practices recommends a minimum legal marriage age of 18 for both girls and boys, with or without parental consent.
• Sustainable Development Goal 5.3: Commits all countries to eliminating child, early, and forced marriage by 2030.
• The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol): Recognises 18 as the non-negotiable minimum age for marriage without exceptions.

Within the region, there are examples of progress, including countries that have taken steps to harmonise the minimum age across different religious communities or to close judicial loopholes. However, even when there is legal protection, implementation remains uneven. The Hurra Coalition works to document these gaps and to support advocacy for stronger, enforceable protections.

What Hurra members are doing to end child marriage 

[PULLOUT ON IMPACT: In Lebanon, Hurra members were part of a coalition who worked  to introduce unified standards (such as a minimum age of 15 across all 15 religious sects) as a step toward a common age of 18.] 

The Hurra Coalition addresses child marriage as a fundamental violation of human rights that traps girls in cycles of poverty. Our collective efforts include: 

• Reform: we advocate for removing "judicial exceptions" in national family codes, advocating for a clear, enforceable minimum age of 18 for all, regardless of religious sect.
• Resilience:  we provide legal awareness workshops and support networks that empower girls and women to resist early marriage through informed rights education.
• Representation: we support young women from marginalized and displaced backgrounds - those most vulnerable to early marriage - to ensure their voices are heard within policy dialogues. 

By combining legislative pressure with community-level empowerment and youth leadership, we are working to ensure that every girl in the MENA region is free to pursue her education and future without the threat of forced early union.

[ Add any links to specific resources from the members ]