The organization CARE has released a new report that highlights how the humanitarian crisis created by the protracted civil war in Syria has increased the incidence of child and forced marriage among refugees fleeing the conflict. The CARE report looks at several factors, including poverty, cultural concepts of “honor,” and tradition that all contribute to the practice of child and forced marriage, widely considered a violation of women and girls’ human rights. The report found that conflict and displacement in the Syrian context have made the problem of child and forced marriage worse, exposing women and girls to a high risk of physical and sexual violence rather than protecting them from it. Throughout the report, CARE provides recommendations for best practice in prevention and care for victims.
Compiled from: Spencer, Danielle, “To Protect Her Honour” – Child marriage in emergencies – the fatal confusion between protecting girls and sexual violence, CARE International UK (May 2015).