Climate change impacts show child marriage cannot be explained by culture alone

Climate breakdown is emerging as a major driver of child marriage, with climate-related disasters putting greater financial pressure on families.

These pressures can leave girls in families struggling with poverty and food insecurity at greater risk of child marriage. Girls can face pressure to leave school and marry as households struggle to recover.

Girls Not Brides’ head of Asia engagement, Shreya Ghosh, described child marriage as a “coping strategy” for some families.

“All of this is happening because there’s not strong enough support mechanisms in the first place,” Ghosh explained in a recent ABC report.

Girls forced into marriage without their free and full consent are at greater risk of exploitation, especially if they cannot refuse or leave.

Research indicates child marriage can increase by over a third in Bangladesh following a natural disaster, according to the International Rescue Committee.

These consequences can shape girls’ futures and the broader, less publicised human rights impacts of climate disasters.

Marriage can mean leaving school, limiting economic opportunities, and taking on responsibilities before they are ready.

Girls affected by climate change, conflict, and other crises can have fewer options, which increases the risk of child marriage as a coping mechanism.

Humanitarian responses to climate-related crises must include provisions that protect vulnerable communities from modern slavery risks, including child marriage.

There are actions that can mitigate these risks. Financial assistance can help families recover when they lose their income without placing the burden on girls. It can also help girls stay in school and continue their education.

Building resilient livelihoods and expanding economic opportunities can give families more options when disasters strike. Vocational training, skills development, and entrepreneurship programs can help create those opportunities.

Walk Free’s Stacked Odds research identifies 3 key approaches to reducing the risk of modern slavery for women and girls, which include:

Girls facing pressure to marry also need access to protection and justice, including legal protections against forced marriage and services to help keep them safe.

Protecting girls from child marriage means ensuring climate disasters do not leave them with fewer choices about their future.