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Lebanon: the economic crisis leads to a sharp increase in the number of early marriages
Lebanon continues to suffer the effects of the economic and financial collapse that occurred at the end of 2019 and which the World Bank describes as “
one of the worst crises in the world in 150 years
”. The general impoverishment of the population, the dramatic fall in purchasing power, the depreciation of the national currency and the destruction of social safety nets due to state bankruptcy are only the visible part of the iceberg.
Early marriages are on the rise due to the economic and financial collapse that occurred at the end of 2019. Getty Images - Zeina Kassem
By: Paul Khalifeh Follow
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From our correspondent in Beirut,
The Lebanese economic crisis has caused a decline in social and societal indicators, one of the manifestations of which is the sharp increase in the number of early marriages. A recent study carried out by an association called the “Lebanese Democratic Women's Rally” indicates that the marriage of minors of both sexes rose in 2023 to 20% of those under 18, compared to 6% in 2016, according to figures provided to the time by Unicef. 87% of these early marriages concern young girls.
Also read: In Lebanon, poverty pushes entire families to leave by sea for Cyprus or Italy
The study also shows that 10% of these unions involve adolescent girls aged 13 to 15. The majority of underage marriages take place in the north of the eastern Bekaa plain, where tribal and clan traditions remain deeply rooted. This sharp increase is due to the economic crisis which led to a general impoverishment of the population and, consequently, an increase in school dropouts, particularly among young girls.
Numerous early marriages among Syrian refugees
The study was carried out on a sample of 1,300 people residing in Lebanon. But this scourge is even more serious among the Syrian community in Lebanon estimated by the authorities at more than two million people, or a quarter of the population, including 830,000 registered with the United Nations: 25% of Syrians of both sexes have been married at an age below 18, with a large majority of young girls, 80% of whom are out of school due to the economic and social insecurity that reigns in the camps.
An important step was taken last September when the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission approved a bill criminalizing underage marriages by imposing sanctions on parents. But to become a law, this project must still be examined by other committees before being voted on during a plenary session of Parliament. Since September 2023, nothing new has been done to speed up the procedure. The text is still in the House drawers.
Marriage of under-18s still permitted by most religious communities
The system of political confessionalism in force in Lebanon grants the management of personal status to religious communities. Spiritual leaders are essential when it comes to marriages, divorces and inheritance issues. Without their agreement, the criminalization of early marriage cannot be approved. And there is still a long way to go before convincing them.
Read alsoLebanon: when the economic crisis pushes children to work
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