Left-wing fever dreams: Le Parisien blames child marriage on climate change
36% of 5,000 young women surveyed in five countries report more child marriages after a climate disaster, according to a Plan International report.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
A Plan International report claims that climate disasters are accelerating child marriage in countries such as Bangladesh and Kenya. Loss of income and housing leads some families to marry off their daughters before the age of 18.
The cyclone swept away the chickens and ducks. With them went the livelihood of a family in **Cox's Bazar**, in **Bangladesh**. **Runa** was 15 when her mother, a widow with no job, married her off to a stranger. She wanted to keep studying. The storm pulled her out of childhood in a few gusts.
## What the Plan International report says
The children's rights NGO **Plan International** published its annual report a few days ago. It gathers the responses of **5,000 young women** surveyed in **Bangladesh**, **Kenya**, **Peru**, **Senegal** and **Zimbabwe**. **36%** of them say they see more child marriages after a climate shock.
Child marriage is any marriage that takes place before the age of **18**, according to **UNICEF**'s definition. The link between climate and early marriage is not new in humanitarian literature, but the report quantifies it and extends it to five countries on three continents.
## Why a disaster ends in a wedding
When a cyclone, a drought or a flood destroys the home and the means of living, the family loses its income overnight. In contexts where there is no insurance or sufficient state aid, marrying off a daughter means one less mouth to feed and can bring a dowry or immediate income. The girl leaves school and takes on a domestic and reproductive role for which she is not prepared.
The pattern repeats itself: first the disaster, then the economic pressure, and finally the wedding. It does not take a huge catastrophe. It is enough for the family to cross the survival threshold.
## What can be done and what cannot
Social protection programmes, compulsory schooling and civil registration reduce child marriage, but they need stable funding. In a drought year, that funding competes with emergency aid.
The report does not establish a single-cause relationship. It points to a correlation documented by the affected women themselves. Each case should be treated with caution, and the competent authorities and organisations should be consulted before drawing general conclusions.
The cyclone swept away the chickens and ducks. With them went the livelihood of a family in **Cox's Bazar**, in **Bangladesh**. **Runa** was 15 when her mother, a widow with no job, married her off to a stranger. She wanted to keep studying. The storm pulled her out of childhood in a few gusts.
## What the Plan International report says
The children's rights NGO **Plan International** published its annual report a few days ago. It gathers the responses of **5,000 young women** surveyed in **Bangladesh**, **Kenya**, **Peru**, **Senegal** and **Zimbabwe**. **36%** of them say they see more child marriages after a climate shock.
Child marriage is any marriage that takes place before the age of **18**, according to **UNICEF**'s definition. The link between climate and early marriage is not new in humanitarian literature, but the report quantifies it and extends it to five countries on three continents.
## Why a disaster ends in a wedding
When a cyclone, a drought or a flood destroys the home and the means of living, the family loses its income overnight. In contexts where there is no insurance or sufficient state aid, marrying off a daughter means one less mouth to feed and can bring a dowry or immediate income. The girl leaves school and takes on a domestic and reproductive role for which she is not prepared.
The pattern repeats itself: first the disaster, then the economic pressure, and finally the wedding. It does not take a huge catastrophe. It is enough for the family to cross the survival threshold.
## What can be done and what cannot
Social protection programmes, compulsory schooling and civil registration reduce child marriage, but they need stable funding. In a drought year, that funding competes with emergency aid.
The report does not establish a single-cause relationship. It points to a correlation documented by the affected women themselves. Each case should be treated with caution, and the competent authorities and organisations should be consulted before drawing general conclusions.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (7 replies).
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