Child marriage of female Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon: a literature review

Abstract

Background: The Syrian conflict has resulted in major humanitarian crises. The risk is particularly high amongst female children who face additional gendered risks, such as harassment and sexual violence, including a rise in prevalence of child marriage. Despite the importance of this topic, current literature remains relatively scarce. Objectives: This study aims to explore the social and healthcare repercussions of Syrian refugee child marriages in Jordan and Lebanon. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was carried out to gather evidence, from a total of eight articles. Data analysis was conducted using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme check tool to systematically assess the trustworthiness, relevance and results of the included papers. Results: The findings of this research identify tradition, honour, economics, fear, and protection-related factors as drivers of child marriage of refugees in Jordan and Lebanon. These motives overlap with findings regarding access to reproductive health and reproductive rights. The lack of autonomy of the child to give informed consent is augmented in the context of protracted violence and displacement. Conclusion: There is a need for a holistic approach to provide safe spaces, education, and protection to young girls and their families to reduce their acceptance of child marriage.

Voices of the vulnerable: Exploring the livelihood strategies, coping mechanisms and their impact on food insecurity, health and access to health care among Syrian refugees in the Beqaa region of Lebanon

“…Also, regardless of registration status, refugees resorted to informal livelihood strategies to improve their living conditions including informal employment, child labor, and in some instances, early marriage for girls. These findings were consistent with previous studies conducted to assess the challenges faced by Syrian refugees in Lebanon [10,51], yet the present study is the first to highlight the severity and extent of these mechanisms, particularly among unregistered refugees. According to the 2019 Vulnerability Assessment for Syrian refugees (VASyR) survey conducted to assess the needs of registered refugees in Lebanon, 97% of refugee households resorted to some type of livelihood coping strategy to make up for their economic hardships including selling productive assets (10%) and reducing expenditures on health (54%) and education (30%).…”

“…According to Bartels et al (2018), in many instances, Syrian refugee girls were ready to accept the proposals from well-settled men to secure more protection and escape the hardship conditions of their families [57]. The dire living conditions, poverty and insecurity were also reported in other studies as key motives for the households to take that decision on the behalf of their daughters and marry them off at an early age [51,54]. Sex work is another informal coping mechanism that was adopted by Syrian refugees to overcome their economic hardships, yet it was reported only by the key informants in the present study.…”

Vulnerabilities of Syrian refugee children in Turkey and actions taken for prevention and management in terms of health and wellbeing

“…While according to men the main reason was poverty, Syrian women accept it as a protection mechanism against sexual violence and harassment ( Bartels et al, 2018 ). Same motives for early marriages in Syrian refugees were also reported in studies from Turkey and Jordan ( El Arab & Sagbakken, 2019 ; Wringe et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Syrian refugee children are exposed to various traumatic events such as loss of a loved one, witnessing combat or life threat during war and flight ( Gormez et al, 2018 ). Other social risk factors during post-migration period such as child labor, family violence, and child marriage also negatively affect the psychosocial wellbeing of Syrian refugee children in Turkey ( El Arab & Sagbakken, 2019 ; Falb et al, 2019 ; Habib et al, 2019 ; Usta et al, 2019 ; Wringe et al, 2019 ). Associated with these risk factors, studies indicate higher estimates of PTSD, depression, and anxiety among Syrian refugee children compared to Turkish children.…”

“…A study conducted by UNHCR in 2015 found that the highest risk for Syrian refugee children was psychological concern (51 %) followed by children dropped out of school (25 %) and child labor (11 %) ( UNHCR, 2015. p. 19 ). It is also important to mention that the risks identified in this study, including child labour ( Habib et al, 2019 ), child marriages ( El Arab & Sagbakken, 2019 ; Wringe et al, 2019 ) and domestic violence ( Falb, Blackwell, Stennes, Hussein, & Annan, 2019 ; Usta, Masterson, & Farver, 2019 ) in addition to the aforementioned higher risks, are factors which are likely to influence psychological wellbeing negatively.…”