ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A campaign to end child marriage in the Kurdistan region was launched Sunday in Erbil at a conference attended by activists, international rights groups and officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
The “18. Not Before. Not Forced.”campaign, held on the International Day of Girl Child, followed research that found that 700 million women alive today were married as children. Child marriage, is defined as a formal marriage or informal union before age 18.
The launch event, organized by Italian rights group Un Ponte Por (UPP) in conjunction with the UNHCR and the KRG, said there presently are at least 1,167 child marriages in the Kurdistan region, and 251 of these occurred when the woman was under the age of 16.
The legal age of marriage in the Kurdistan region is 18, however, women may marry at 16 if their family agrees and their health condition allows.
“Early marriage is the responsibility of all of us. Government, health officials, UN. We all need to work together with the communities, institutions and organization to spread the message,” said Jaqueline Parlevliet, senior protection adviser at UNCHR.
Parlevliet said the rate of child marriage in the Kurdistan region is increasing as families suffer economically. She said the influx of nearly 2 million refugees has also contributed to an increase that has been noticeable by UNHCR workers in the displacement camps.
“We know that child marriage did not come up only with the arrival of refugees as the region has always suffered from it. But the influx of refugees has worsened the situation because of the economical shortfall and protection issues,” said Chiara Moroni, UPP project manager for internally displaced people (IDPs).
Morani said the integration of the refugees with residents has helped lead to the increase in child marriage, adding an urgency to the UPP’s campaign with other organizations and the KRG.
Officials at the conference said newly arrived refugees must be made aware of the legal age of marriage in the Kurdistan region and called for strict application of the law.
“Child marriage is a serious issue and children should not be forced to get married at an early age. UPP has launched the campaign “18. NOT BEFORE. NOT FORCED” with the aid of other organization to protect child rights. We will work together to improve child’s life and reduce the child marriage worldwide and especially in Kurdistan,” Alessia Piva, Middle East desk officer for UPP, an organization that was been working on child protection issues in the Kurdistan region since 1991.
UPP officials pointed out that child marriage affects both men and women, although women are considered more at risk, and can cause life-long damage. Many women who marry too young suffer poverty, domestic violence and divorce.
“Child marriage denies girls and boys. Girls without education are three times more likely to get married before 16. Child marriage leads to isolation; to be isolated from families and friends. Girls who get married at 15 are more likely to die during pregnancy,” said Farah Sayegh, communication manager at the Save the Children organization, who attended the conference.
Captain Zhilamo Abdul-Qadir, head of the KRG’s Directorate to Trace Violence Against Women, spoke to the audience about the most practical ways to prevent and fight child marriage.
“We have offered all the necessary help to the international organization and NGOs to combat child marriage. During the campaign there will be doctors who will highlight the health risks of child marriage,” Abdul-Qqadir said.
During the conference, posters explaining the mission of the “18.NOT BEFORE. NOT FORCED” campaign were presented. The posters outlined the health risks, importance of education, and the UN conventions on child rights.
“We hope this campaign will have a major role in rising awareness about the risks of child marriage because families need to be aware if their children are married below 18, the marriage is considered illegal,”Moroni added.
