Child Marriage in Afghanistan

Child Marriage

in Afghanistan

Changing the narrative

? Preethi Nallu - Samuel Hall

Knowledge attitude and practice study

With Funding from

July 2018

Table of contents

Acronyms...................................................................................................................................................................6 Glossary.....................................................................................................................................................................7 Acknowledgments .....................................................................................................................................................9 Foreword .................................................................................................................................................................10 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................11

Section 1: Researching Child Marriage in Afghanistan............................................................................................12 A. Introduction..........................................................................................................................................................12 B. Research methodology........................................................................................................................................13 C. The legal frameworks governing child marriage in Afghanistan...........................................................................16 D. Framing child marriage in Afghanistan: key concepts in context.........................................................................17

Section 2. Assessing Child Marriage in Afghanistan: Current Research Gaps on Prevalence & Practices.............20 A. The landscape of child marriage in Afghanistan..................................................................................................21 B. The drivers and enablers of child marriage in Afghanistan..................................................................................23 C. The costs and impacts of child marriage.............................................................................................................26 D. Understanding child marriage as a complex problem..........................................................................................27

Section 3. Knowledge & Attitudes on Child Marriage: Wide Opposition, Narrow Understandings, Few Changes...28 A. Narrow and varied understandings of child marriage impacts and relevant frameworks ....................................28 B. Varied and contradictory attitudes and practices: community-level influence in decision making.......................35 C. Trends in prevalence and practice.......................................................................................................................37

Section 4. Many Factors, Limited Agency: A Model of How Decisions on Child Marriage Are Made.......................38 A. Decision-makers and influencers on child marriage............................................................................................38 B. Key factors and drivers ? social, cultural, economic and legal ..........................................................................40 C. Modelling decision-making on child marriage......................................................................................................42

Section 5. Addressing Impacts & Preventing Child Marriage: Spaces for Ambitious and Pragmatic Approaches...44 A. Recommendations for action on child marriage in Afghanistan...........................................................................44 B. Recommendations for further research ..............................................................................................................51

Bibliography..............................................................................................................................................................54 Annexes...................................................................................................................................................................55 Annex A. Detailed Methodology...............................................................................................................................56 Annex B. Findings from Desk Review......................................................................................................................64

Footnotes.................................................................................................................................................................82

Figures

Figure 1. Key Data on Child Marriage..................................................................................................................... 11 Figure 2. Quantitative Research Tools.................................................................................................................... 13 Figure 3. Qualitative Research Tools....................................................................................................................... 13 Figure 4. Map of Final Sample - Qualitative & Quantitative Research.................................................................... 14 Figure 5. Household monthly income disaggregated by province (respondents are all the households)

[Incomes measured in Afghan Afghanis].................................................................................................. 15 Figure 6. Q. Is your household indebted? (Respondents include all households).................................................. 15 Figure 7. GoIRA Initiatives Addressing Child Marriage........................................................................................... 16 Figure 8. Q. Were any of the married members of your household married before the age of 18?

(Respondents include all households)..................................................................................................... 20 Figure 9. Reported age at marriage of female profiled household members under 23 years of age, who are

married (N=215)....................................................................................................................................... 21 Figure 10. Reported age at marriage of male profiled household members under 23 years of age, who are

married (N=42)......................................................................................................................................... 21 Figure 11. Q. Were any of the marriages of individuals under 28 and married under 18 in your household

registered with the government? (N=204)............................................................................................... 22 Figure 12. Provincial Data for Q. Were any of the marriages of individuals under 28 and married under 18

in your household registered with the government? (N=204)................................................................... 22 Figure 13. Reasons for marriage cited for female profiled household members aged 23 and under (N=215)......... 24 Figure 14. Reasons for marriage cited for male profiled household members aged 23 and under (N=42).............. 24 Figure 15. Percentage (%) of household survey respondents reporting negative health impacts of child

marriage for girls (N=274)........................................................................................................................ 25 Figure 16. Health issues experienced by girls married before age 18 (Note: respondents include all households

which have a member who was married before 18, N=183).................................................................... 25 Figure 17. Q. Do you still attend school? (Respondents of 23 years of age or below, N=257)................................. 26 Figure 18. Factors impacting decision-making processes on child marriage (N=274 and N=661, respectively)...... 28 Figure 19. Q. Do you agree with the following statement: "The members of my household who were married

before they turned 18 experienced negative impacts as a result." (Respondents include all households, N=661)................................................................................................................................. 29 Figure 20. What, if any, do you think the positive impacts of child marriage are? (Respondents include all households, N=661).....................................................................................30

Figure 21. Percentage of household respondents agreeing on the youngest age boys and girls should marry. (N=661)....................................................................................................................................... 31

Figure 22. Percentage of household respondents agreeing on the oldest age boys and girls should marry. ........ 32 Figure 23. Selected Quotes on Marriageable Age - Male FGD Kandahar.............................................................. 33 Figure 24. Q. Does a bride / groom need to agree to a marriage for it to be legal? (Respondents include all

households, N=661)............................................................................................................................... 34 Figure 25. Provincial data for Q. Does a bride / groom need to agree to a marriage for it to be legal?

(Respondents include all households, N=661)....................................................................................... 34 Figure 26. Selected Quotes on Attitudes to Child Marriage - Female FGD Kandahar............................................ 35 Figure 27. Practices vs. Perceptions: Are respondents less willing to wed girls in their family at a younger age

if a member of their household experienced child marriage (i.e. was married before 18)? (Respondents include all households, N=661)....................................................................................... 35 Figure 28. What are the general attitudes in your community towards child marriage? (Respondents include all households, N=661)........................................................................................................................... 36 Figure 29. Q. Who was the primary person who made the decision for these marriages? (Respondents are individuals under 28 and who were married before 18 in the households, N=204)................................ 39 Figure 30. Decision-making Influencers.................................................................................................................. 39 Figure 31. Q. Do you think that girls and boys should have a say in who, and when they will marry? (Respondents are all households, N=661)............................................................................................. 40 Figure 32. Interconnected Drivers of Child Marriage............................................................................................... 40 Figure 33. Q. For what reasons girls and boys should be married before 18? (Respondents are all households, N=661).................................................................................................................................................... 41 Figure 34. Recommendations for Action................................................................................................................. 44 Figure 35. KAP Study on Child Marriage Work Plan............................................................................................... 57 Figure 36. Final Quantitative Sample...................................................................................................................... 60 Figure 37. Final Qualitative Sample........................................................................................................................ 61 Figure 38. Sampling Guidelines.............................................................................................................................. 62 Figure 39. Fieldwork Dates..................................................................................................................................... 63 Figure 40. Primary Sampling Units.......................................................................................................................... 63 Figure 41. Fieldwork Challenges............................................................................................................................. 64

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