Child Marriage in Afghanistan - UNICEF

1 Child Marriage in AfghanistanChanging the narrativeJuly 2018 Preethi Nallu - Samuel HallKnowledge attitude and practice studyWith Funding fromTable of ..7 Acknowledgments ..9 Foreword ..10 Executive Summary ..11 Section 1: Researching Child Marriage in Afghanistan ..12A. Introduction ..12B. Research methodology ..13C. The legal frameworks governing Child Marriage in Afghanistan ..16D. Framing Child Marriage in Afghanistan : key concepts in context ..17 Section 2. Assessing Child Marriage in Afghanistan : Current Research Gaps on Prevalence & Practices ..20A.

2 The landscape of Child Marriage in Afghanistan ..21B. The drivers and enablers of Child Marriage in Afghanistan ..23C. The costs and impacts of Child Marriage ..26D. Understanding Child Marriage as a complex problem ..27 Section 3. Knowledge & Attitudes on Child Marriage : Wide Opposition, Narrow Understandings, Few Changes ..28A. Narrow and varied understandings of Child Marriage impacts and relevant frameworks ..28B. Varied and contradictory attitudes and practices: community-level influence in decision Trends in prevalence and practice ..37 Section 4. Many Factors, Limited Agency: A Model of How Decisions on Child Marriage Are Made.

3 38A. Decision-makers and influencers on Child Marriage ..38B. Key factors and drivers social, cultural, economic and legal ..40C. Modelling decision-making on Child Marriage ..42 Section 5. Addressing Impacts & Preventing Child Marriage : Spaces for Ambitious and Pragmatic Approaches ..44A. Recommendations for action on Child Marriage in Afghanistan ..44B. Recommendations for further research ..51 Bibliography .. A. Detailed Methodology ..56 Annex B. Findings from Desk Review .. 1. Key Data on Child Marriage ..11 Figure 2. Quantitative Research Tools.

4 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 8. Q. Were any of the married members of your household married before the age of 18? (Respondents include all households)..20 Figure 9.

5 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?

6 (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.

7 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).

8 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?

9 (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 ( 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).

10 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).