What national, regional, and international commitments has Ethiopia made to pretty much combat early marriage? Needs to be the very important question to be widely discussed. Yes, Ethiopia has committed to ending child, early, and forced marriage by 2030 in line with its plan to attain the Sustainable Development Goals. The Ethiopian Herald approached Serkalem Wogaso, a gender specialist who graduated from Addis Ababa University, to incorporate invaluable inputs regarding the issue.
She said, "Early marriage in Ethiopia is often arranged or negotiated by family members. Parental influence over the early marriage of girls is well-witnessed, and a lot needs to be done to meaningfully mitigate the influence of early marriage practices. Since parenting, parents, and cultures are inextricably linked, their attitudes are likely to influence one another, and they share common cultural beliefs and values toward their children."
Serkalem further stated that parents' attitudes can definitely influence their children independently if their attitudes and perceptions do not overlap. Several approaches have been devised towards combating early marriage in Ethiopia, including strengthening legal frameworks, promoting education, improving economic opportunities for girls and families, and fostering community engagement.
Yes, she said interventions that combine these elements are often most effective. Strengthening legal frameworks and enforcement would also be a noteworthy approach to make a difference.
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Especially when policy makers provide leaders with both training and content appropriate to local realities, efforts towards mitigating impacts of early marriage can bear fruits. They can help girls develop confidence and voice, which enables them to negotiate with their parents for education instead of marriage, teach them about the law, provide them with social support and introduce them to broader future, which can be critical in those areas where girls are increasingly choosing child marriage of their own accord, she added.
The government has also used a range of approaches like training of trainers, equipping teachers and students to better support girls and girls' clubs with information about gender equality and reproductive health. Although the majority of mothers and fathers in Ethiopia know the legal age of marriage, negative health, and legal consequences, many mothers and fathers intend to marry off their daughters early. Their intention has been associated with the favorable attitude they have developed toward early marriage and perceived norms that promote the prevalence of strong social norms in the community that enforces early marriage intentions.
Despite the presence of social norms favoring early marriage, factors such as residing in urban areas and parents with higher educational levels were associated with a reduced likelihood of intention to marry daughters off early. Interventions to reduce intention for early marriage need to address local social norms that enforce it.
Strong social norms around early marriage put pressure on parents to marry off their adolescent girls at an early age.
The social norms that promote intention for early marriage are still high among parents, especially among those living in rural areas and uneducated ones. Hence, interventions that aim to reduce early marriage need to address locally relevant social norms.
The practice of early marriage has severe consequences on the health, psychological, physiological, and socioeconomic well-being of young girls and their infants. Girls who marry early are often denied a range of human rights, prevented from studying further, face serious health risks from early and multiple pregnancies, and suffer sexual and domestic violence. It also has implications on the overall development and well-being of society as a whole.
Tamirat Simie is a Sociologist and Social Anthropologist, and working for a local NGO advocating the elimination of harmful traditional practices. He said, "In patriarchal societies, such as in Ethiopia, parents are the primary decision-makers on marriage, and on behalf of their daughters, parents decide when and whom to marry.
The most commonly cited reasons in favor of early marriage include the intention to improve the economic status of the family, the parent's desire to become grandparents, strengthen ties between the marrying families, to protect her from out-of-wedlock pregnancies, family honor, and customary or religious laws that support the practice."
As to Tamirat, parents also believe they need to follow their reference group or local behavioral rules to conform to socially acceptable norms. According to Tamirat, "The entire community needs to understand why child marriage is harmful and they have to help girls and women understand that they have rights, including to attend education and refuse a marriage they do not want.
Here, most importantly, husbands understand that they should run household chores supporting wives, mind children, and refrain from beating their wives, and parents in general need to understand as they should allocate household chores equally between their sons and daughters and brothers understand that they must support their sisters.
"Ethiopia has laws prohibiting child marriage, but enforcement and awareness of these laws are crucial. Strengthening legal frameworks and ensuring consistent enforcement, particularly in high-prevalence areas, is essential. Furthermore, school-based programs that focus on life skills, reproductive health, and gender equality are important. Involving community and religious leaders in these programs can enhance their impact," said Tamirat.
He further added that engaging communities, including religious and community leaders, is vital for changing attitudes and behaviors. Raising awareness about the harmful effects of child marriage and the benefits of delaying marriage is essential.
As learned from sources, early marriage practices are largely dominated by culture and tradition even in the presence of secular laws governing marriage. In developing countries like Ethiopia, early marriage is not uncommon, especially among girls, who then take the role of being a wife and mother at an early age before they gain physical and mental maturity. Early marriage is overwhelmingly prevalent across countries, cultures, and religions.
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Recently more than 700 million underage girls married globally, and of these, more than half occurred in South Asia, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Though the age of marriage is gradually increasing, early marriage is still a common problem in Sub- Saharan Africa; the region has the highest rate of early marriage in the world. Early marriage is also a common practice among Ethiopian women. The prevalence of early marriage among reproductive-age women ranges from 26% in Addis Ababa to 87% in Amhara's eastern region. Furthermore, the national prevalence of early marriage was 58% in 2016.
In sum, cooperation between different sectors, including health, education, and social services, is necessary for a holistic approach. Ensuring that community members are actively involved in designing and implementing interventions builds ownership and sustainability.
Poverty, lack of access to resources, and traditional beliefs often contribute to child marriage. Addressing these root causes through targeted interventions is crucial. Changing harmful cultural norms and practices that perpetuate child marriage requires long-term engagement with communities.
By addressing the legal, social, economic, and cultural factors that contribute to child marriage, Ethiopia can make significant progress in protecting the rights and well-being of its children. Strong social norms around early marriage put pressure on parents to marry off their adolescent girls at an early age.
