Child marriage in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Child Marriage in Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 2017 in Democratic Republic of the Congo, 37% of girls are married off before the age of 18. 10% are married before they turn 15.[1] Democratic Republic of the Congo is the 19th highest nation in the world for child marriage.

In many communities in DRC, it is tradition that allows young girls to get married,[2] and not religion as many think. However, displacement, poverty and family pressure are factors which increase this phenomena.[2]

The military conflict has increased the incidence of child marriage by creating a climate where sexual violence is widespread and there is limited rule of law and impunity for perpetrators. In the DRC, an estimated 200,000 girls and women have experienced sexual violence due to war.[1]

Descriptive and multivariate analyses performed show that country's young women who faced first sexual intercourse before 16 yo are 73.5 times more at risk of early marriage more than those who initiated it at the age 18–24.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 "Child marriage around the world: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO", Girls Not Brides
  2. 1 2 Odette Asha (August 12, 2015), "Child marriage around the world: NIGERIA", Norwegian Refugee Council
  3. ↑ Jacques Elengemoke Mpilambo; Sathiya Susuman Appunni; Ogujiuba Kanayo; Nancy Stiegler, Determinants of Early Marriage among Young Women in Democratic Republic of Congo, Journal of Social Sciences
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.