Child marriage among displaced populations – a 2019 study in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Background: Many of the factors that increase risk of child marriage are common among refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). We sought to address the gaps in knowledge surrounding child marriage in displaced and host populations in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). Methods: A multistage cluster sample design was employed collecting data of KRI host communities, Iraqi IDPs, and Syrian refugees. Interviews were conducted in eligible households, requiring at least one adult female and one female adolescent present, addressing views of marriage, demographics and socioeconomic factors. Household rosters were completed to assess WHO indicators, related to child marriage including completed child marriage in females 10–19 and completed risk of previously conducted child marriages in females 20–24. Results: Interviews were completed in 617 hosts, 664 IDPs, and 580 refugee households, obtaining information on 10,281 household members and 1,970 adolescent females. Overall, 10.4% of girls age 10–19 were married. IDPs had the highest percentage of married 10–19-year-old females (12.9%), compared to the host community (9.8%) and refugees (8.1%). Heads of households with lower overall education had higher percentages of child marriage in their homes; this difference in prevalence was most notable in IDPs and refugees. When the head of the household was unemployed, 14.5% of households had child marriage present compared to 8.0% in those with employed heads of household. Refugees and IDPs had larger percentages of child marriage when heads of households were unemployed (refugees 13.1%, IDPs 16.9%) compared to hosts (11.9%). When asked about factors influencing marriage decisions, respondents predominately cited family tradition (52.5%), family honor (15.7%), money/resources (9.6%), or religion (8.0%). Over a third of those interviewed (38.9%) reported a change in influencing factors on marriage after displacement (or after the arrival of refugees in the area for hosts). Conclusions: Being an IDP in Iraq, unemployment and lower education were associated with an increase in risk for child marriage. Refugees had similar percentages of child marriage as hosts, though the risk of child marriage among refugees was higher in situations of low education and unemployment. Ultimately, child marriage remains a persistent practice worldwide, requiring continued efforts to understand and address sociocultural norms in low socioeconomic and humanitarian settings.