Matthias Leibrand

Girls Like Me: A Three-Part Series on Child Marriage Among Syrian Families

Part 2: The Effects of Child Marriage

by Yasser Baroudy and Sebastian Zimmermann

Edited by Keri Ladner

While the conflict in Syria rages on, countless families have fallen into a state of extreme poverty. Whether they are still living in the country – often as internally displaced persons – or as refugees in neighboring countries, many now resort to the marriage of teenage girls to ease their financial burdens, as well as to provide the girls themselves with financial security and protection from violence (https://vision-hope.org/girls-like-me-a-three-part-series-on-child-marriage-among-syrian-families/). However, the perceived benefits of child marriage often prove to be false, as the practice actually harms the girls physically and psychologically. Teenage pregnancy and motherhood, coupled with high rates of divorce among child brides – many of whom now have children of their own to care for – force the families into even more dire levels of poverty. The girls are less likely to finish their education and/or find employment, contributing to what many analysts are beginning to call a lost generation of children.[1]

Teenage Pregnancy

The number of teenage pregnancies in Syrian communities has grown since the beginning of the conflict. While there are other contributing factors – especially the systematic rape of girls – the major cause is child marriage.

Having lost her mother when she was only 4 years old, Selma grew up with her father and stepmother. At the age of 13, they forced her to marry a 17-year-old boy. Because her husband was quite young himself and still financially dependent on his family, the couple lived with his parents. Selma’s in-laws demanded that she clean the house, wash clothes, and cook for them, while heaping abuse and insults on her. The situation was so desperate that within the first year of marriage, Selma tried to take her own life.

At 14, she became pregnant. Because the baby was larger than her young body could handle, she had to have a C-section. Due to complications, the baby died, and the doctors had to remove Selma’s uterus to save her life. Faced with her child’s stillbirth and the inability to ever become pregnant again, while still living with her abusive in-laws, Selma developed chronic depression. Still a child himself and unable to help his wife, her husband soon divorced her. She now faces an uncertain future, as she is divorced, no longer in school, and unable to have children.

Among many Syrians, there is a strong cultural norm of women becoming pregnant shortly after marriage, and child brides are not an exception. However, teenage pregnancy carries grave health risks for both mother and child. The mothers have higher rates of dangerous conditions, such as eclampsia (seizures due to high blood pressure in pregnant women), as well as uterine and systemic infections, than pregnant women over the age of 20; some, like Selma, have bodies that are simply too small to carry a child. Their babies are particularly susceptible to complications like low birthweight and preterm delivery, both of which can have life-long effects. These problems can be especially severe considering that child brides who become pregnant as teenagers tend to come from impoverished backgrounds and lack access to proper nutrition and medical care.

In addition to the physical dangers of teenage pregnancy, the mothers are at greater risk of suffering from serious psychological issues, such as post-partum depression. Because they are often not prepared for motherhood, they experience a more intense need for psychological and social support than women who give birth after the age of 20. As these young mothers are still girls themselves, they are frequently unable to provide their children with the care that they need in order to thrive.

 

Divorce

Suddenly expected to take on the role of wife and mother, child brides are often overburdened by their new responsibilities. Frequently, these marriages end in divorce.

Ayah was only 13 years old when her father forced her to marry a 35-year-old man. On her wedding night, which she called the “longest and hardest night of my life,” her husband abused her so severely that she had to be hospitalized and undergo surgery. He insisted that she had to become pregnant, but she rejected the idea of becoming a mother so early and began to secretly take contraceptives. When he found out two years later, the abuse escalated until he divorced her.

While divorce might be a blessing for girls like Ayah, it puts them in a difficult position. Many child brides drop out of school as soon as they are married so that they can take on their new responsibilities. Not finishing their education or developing professional skills causes them to become completely dependent on their husbands. Once divorced, they are often unable to go back to school or find employment due to issues such as social stigmas, the need to stay home and care for their children, being several years behind in school, and/or lack of skills due to total dependence on their husbands.

A particular problem that Syrian child brides face, especially refugees getting married to men in their host communities, is that their marriages are often not officially registered. In Kurdish host communities, underage Syrian girls being forced into marriage was reported in 15 out of 19 refugee camps. Not only did several families acknowledge that they married their underage daughters off to men in the local communities, but also that these men were already in their second (or even third or fourth) marriage with Syrian girls. Many of these marriages were never officially registered, leading to a situation in which the husband can easily divorce his wife without her having any legal recourse against him.

Increased Poverty

Syrian families often marry off their young daughters in order to cope with extreme destitution. However, when the divorced girls return home, the result is often that they fall into even more dire poverty.

At the age of 15, Nada, a Syrian refugee in Jordan, was married to a Syrian man and soon became pregnant. After the birth of her son, her husband divorced her, and she was forced to move back in with her family. Because she is now a single mother, she is unable to finish her education, and the potential for finding employment is low.

Like Nada, when child brides are divorced, they often have no option but to return to their families. They frequently bring with them children of their own, presenting already impoverished families with additional mouths to feed. The girls’ chances of finding a job, so that they can provide for their children, are dismally low, with unemployment among Syrian women upwards of 70% in some areas. The result is that many of the children of these child brides are growing up in absolute poverty.[2]

 

Conclusion: A Lost Generation

The babies of child brides are joining millions of Syrian children who are at risk of becoming a “lost generation.”

When children are raising children, particularly in a country at war, both generations become more vulnerable. The mothers are much less likely to finish school and find employment opportunities, and, rather than learning folk songs and cultural stories, their children grow up knowing nothing but poverty and war. While the long-term effects on the children born to child brides in Syria cannot yet be ascertained, case studies in Afghanistan and Yemen – both of which have seen long periods of war and have rates of child marriage that chronically exceed 50% – suggest that the children are more susceptible to radicalization and recruitment into armed factions. This radicalization comes at a critical time for rebuilding countries devastated by endemic war and poverty, when there is an immense need for an educated population to begin training as doctors, lawyers, engineers, and teachers. As such, child marriage not only increases the poverty of the families engaged in the practice but also decreases the potential for the country to achieve peace and prosperity following the period of war.

Child marriage among Syrians will likely continue, possibly at increasingly higher rates, until a political solution to the seven-year conflict brings about the potential for social and economic development, especially for families in absolute poverty. However, interventions – particularly among refugee communities outside of Syria – are proving successful in helping girls like Selma, Ayah, and Nada get back into school and/or find employment, and even prevent underage girls in similar circumstances from becoming married. The third and final article in this series will look at small-scale interventions that help child brides gain the skills they need in order to achieve self-determination, as well as what is necessary to end the practice of child marriage altogether.

[1] Exact statistics regarding the rates of Syrian child marriage, teenage pregnancy, and divorce — particularly within Syria itself — remain elusive due to the ongoing conflict.

[2] At the World Summit on Social Development in Copenhagen in 1995, the UN defined “absolute poverty” as “a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education, and information.”

Sources:
Callahan et al., (2017). Syrian Women and Children: Identifying Gaps and Goals for Reconstruction. https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/handle/1773/38697
UNICEF, (March 2013). Syria’s Children: A Lost Generation? Crisis Report March 2011-2013. https://www.unicef.org/files/Syria_2yr_Report.pdf
UNICEF, (January 2017). Syrian Children Forced to Quit School, Marry Early to Survive. https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/syria/70207_94424.html
UNICEF, (January 2018). Syrian Refugees. https://www.unicef.org/appeals/syrianrefugees.html
United Nations, (March 1995). Report of the World Summit for Social Development. https://undocs.org/A/CONF.166/9
World Health Organization (February 2018). Fact Sheet: Adolescent Pregnancy. http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-pregnancy
Zeinab Cherri, Julita Gil Cuesta, Jose M. Rodriguez-Llanes and Debarati Guha-Sapir (2017) Early Marriage and Barriers to Contraception Among Syrian Refugee Women in Lebanon: A Qualitative Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 14(8). http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/8/836/htm#B2-ijerph-14-00836

MerkenMerken

Signs of Hope

Art is a natural form of expression for children, one in which they can communicate unspeakable thoughts, feelings, and experiences without words, thereby enabling them to process difficult experiences. At the Vision Hope Family Centers in Jordan, children from refugee families routinely engage in art therapeutic activities to support their self-awareness and emotional resilience. One of these activities was Signs of Hope.

In small groups, children from Syria drew pictures that represented three topics:

1) Hand in the Storm – help in the difficult time of war

2) Safe Place – how they found safety after their experiences in the war

3) Wishes for the Future

For the Hand in the Storm picture, many drew detailed pictures that portray the war experiences that their families faced in Syria. One comforting factor that the children consistently mentioned was their families providing a sense of safety during the time of fear and insecurity. Another frequently mentioned help was the presence of soldiers or police officers, especially the Jordanian soldiers at the border facilitating the entrance to Jordan.

We came to Jordan by night, and we were very scared.

Many children drew their houses in Jordan as their safe places, as their everyday lives now provide them with a much-needed sense of stability. A house, in general, is the most common symbol for a safe place in art therapeutic projects with refugee children.

I feel safe when I’m at home with my family and I am far away from war and destruction.

Expressing their wishes for the future was an easy task, as they all quickly came up with ideas of what they want their futures to hold. Many want to become doctors, engineers, architects, and teachers so that they can help rebuild Syria.

I want to become a doctor to help people.

The exhibition will be displayed throughout Jordan at the following sites:

  • June 19-29, 2018: Jadal for Knowledge and Culture 
  • July 1, 2018: Dar Al Anda Art Gallery 
  • July 2-8, 2018: Fann Wa Chai coffee shop
  • July 16-August 2: Queen Rania Community Center

They will also visit sites throughout the MENA region, as well as Europe and North America. If you would like to host an exhibition or otherwise get involved in Signs of Hope, email us at signsofhope@vision-hope.org.

 

 

 

 

The Crisis in Yemen: An Interview with Ambassador Haber

Edited by Keri Ladner

The land that has long been known as Yemen has a rich history and culture that date back thousands of years. The modern state is fairly recent, though, having been created only in 1990 when the communist South (formerly controlled by the British Empire and then supported by the USSR) and the Yemen Arab Republic in the North were united by President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Fighting between the North and South has broken out on numerous occasions, with tribal violence and political dissent leading to interventions by outside powers, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Egypt. Since 2015, Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war that has once again divided the country into two states and created the greatest humanitarian crisis in the world today.

Vision Hope has long been engaged in humanitarian and development projects in Yemen, and its efforts there have increased since the beginning of the war. In March 2018, the Vision Hope communications team had the opportunity to conduct a written interview with the German ambassador to Yemen, Hansjörg Haber, about the political conflict and current humanitarian crisis, as well as what Germany is doing to alleviate the human suffering of the Yemeni people. Below, you can read his responses to our interview questions.

Hansjörg Haber, Germany’s ambassador to Yemen

Vision Hope: With the assassination of ex-President Saleh – an individual who was a well-established and respected power-broker in Yemen – how do you see peace negotiations proceeding? What challenges will Yemen face in his absence?

Hansjörg Haber: Ali Abdullah Saleh was the successful spoiler of the peace initiative of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Had he disappeared from the scene earlier, maybe ending the conflict would have been easier. But now, the conflict has outlived him and his heritage. I think Yemen will still face the same challenges as before his death, the most urgent of which is to end this war. So, in retrospect, one might conclude he did not really matter as much as many thought he did.

 

VHI: What is Germany doing to mitigate man-made crises in Yemen? How can German-funded humanitarian projects reduce the likelihood of mass starvation given Saudi Arabia’s targeting of humanitarian aid implementers (e.g., bombing of cranes and a World Food Programme warehouse, as well as the blocking of 3.9 million USD worth of replacement cranes from entering the Port of Hodeideh)?

Haber: Germany is one of the biggest donors for humanitarian aid for Yemen, but also recognizes – and acts accordingly – that humanitarian assistance must be complemented by development cooperation – even in the midst of conflict. For all of this, access is crucial, and Germany continues to lobby, with Yemeni authorities as well as with the Saudi coalition, for safe access to those most vulnerable and most afflicted by the war.

Building in Irhab destroyed in an airstrike

VHI: In many ways, the current war in Yemen is essentially a proxy war between the Saudi coalition (Sunni) and groups allied with Iran (Shi’a), which is even further complicated by tribalism within Yemen. What measures and safeguards are needed to foster reconciliation, and how can NGOs ensure that the basic needs of civilians trapped in the conflict are met without risking exploitation by warring parties?

Haber: The war in Yemen shows characteristics both of a traditional civil war and of a proxy war. It is the task of the international community to untie this nexus at the diplomatic level. On the ground, we need to rely on something I would call “NGO diplomacy” to work its way around the fall-out of the different cycles of conflicts.

 

VHI: In 2016, the German Foreign Ministry began a workgroup to address the topic of the peacebuilding capacity of religions and strategize on building strategic partnerships with religious leaders and organizations. How has German foreign policy made use of this strategy to address the conflict in Yemen?

Haber: This is still work in progress. We are looking for ways to make this work applicable to Yemen, but we have not yet found them for various reasons, one of which again is access. And we need to understand more about the interaction between confessions and conflict. We tend to see it through the lens of our own historical experience and therefore are maybe too optimistic about the potential of this approach. But it remains necessary and we will certainly pursue it.

 

VHI: At the beginning of 2018, the German government announced a ban on the sale of arms to countries involved in the Yemen war, including Saudi Arabia. What other mechanisms does the German government have to leverage its influence and achieve a breakthrough in resolving the Yemeni conflict?

Haber: Obviously not enough, if you look at the situation on the ground. But I think – and Yemeni interlocutors regularly confirm – that Germany enjoys a lot of soft power in Yemen because we were never an interested party and are consistent in offering assistance to Yemen. What we now need to do is to find ways to use this soft power to support the UN-led process for conflict resolution.

 

VHI: Johan Galtung’s approach to peacebuilding is a triangle consisting of the aspects peacekeeping (suspension of violent behavior); peacemaking (addressing political and strategic attitudes); and peacebuilding (peaceful social change through reconstruction and development). How does the German government support each of those elements in order to promote sustainable peace? Which of these elements is most challenging to support in Yemen?

Haber: I think peacekeeping is the most challenging one. Ultimately, Yemenis will have to do this themselves. But on the other hand, traditionally they have been quite good at it. As to peacemaking, we support the UN-led process but also have our own contacts within the parties to the conflict. And on peacebuilding, we still have a large GIZ presence, with over 140 staff as well as many German NGOs working on the ground. Their experience and contacts are valuable assets and will be even more so once we have a holistic international approach to peacebuilding in Yemen.

Yemeni men gathered in an alley

VHI: Gender plays an important role in Yemeni culture. Women are often considered the weaker gender, and men are obligated to protect them. Women are also generally excluded in decision-making processes. However, women – especially in conflict and post-conflict contexts – play a critical role in achieving sustainable peace, especially at the local level. How is the German government empowering Yemeni women to reduce violence and promote peace?

Haber: UN Women is doing valuable work on this, and Germany supports this work. Having said this, this question is one of the most difficult to answer. Remember, the national dialogue dealt a lot with the empowerment of women, and what was the result? Can we empower women, or do they have to empower themselves, as it happened in Western societies? I cannot really give you an answer.

Yemeni girls participate in a VHI Youth Development Program

VHI: Widespread food insecurity and a fragmented health system constitute immense challenges for humanitarian actors in Yemen, as does the lack of adequate information management and data surveillance systems. Oftentimes, especially concerning health issues, numbers are overstated to attract additional support. Furthermore, the government has particular requirements before data collection is approved, and in some cases, humanitarian staff have been arrested for collecting data. In light of those issues, how is the reliability of data ensured so as to evaluate the success of German projects in Yemen?

Haber: I think the objective of reliable data will continue to elude us until we have peace and a functioning state in Yemen again. We will have to make do with what we have. Sometimes data is very good, like data from the Social Fund for Development. We just will not have data carved into stone. Data collection is a work in progress, and we must intelligently interpret what we have.

 

VHI: Yemen ranks among the top countries in the world in terms of per-capita gun ownership, with approximately 55 guns per 100 residents. It also has the highest rate of mass shootings among countries with more than 10 million people, and drive-by shootings are especially problematic. How is Germany addressing this issue? Are any negotiations planned to encourage Yemen to ratify the 2014 Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)? In a post-conflict future, what role, if any, will the German government take in arms-reduction initiatives or security-sector reform to reduce the likelihood conflict recidivism?

Haber: Yemen used to have tribal conflicts with very few victims and a high readiness to accept mediation in early stages of the respective conflict, in spite of a very high per-capita gun ownership. What I want to say is that Yemen needs to and can tackle this problem, once the conflict is resolved. But it will not work the other way around: Ratifying the ATT and attempting to restrict gun ownership will not in itself solve the conflict.

Many Yemeni children learn how to use guns at an early age

VHI: The proxy war and local conflicts are currently at a standstill due to most major parties’ refusal to join negotiations. What steps are needed to create a willingness to negotiate among the conflict parties? Is there willingness to achieve local truces among smaller parties? If so, is this willingness utilized to negotiate small-scale cessations of hostilities? How does the asymmetrical nature of the conflict affect these small-scale initiatives?

Haber: This is now the challenge before the Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Martin Griffiths, and we will do whatever we can to support him in it instead of inventing the wheel for ourselves. But, for example, there is already a working group under the auspices of the United Nations dealing with the challenges of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR), including at the local level. And there is a German pilot project on local administration which of course is charged with the maintenance of law and order at the local level.

 

VHI: Two million children are currently out of school and almost three-quarters of public school teachers have not received salaries in over a year, putting the education of an additional 4.5 million children at grave risk. The potential for a “lost generation” results in a multitude of problems, such as early marriage, child labor, and recruitment of child soldiers. It also poses a great threat to the country’s long-term development. How can continuous education be ensured, and which measures have been taken so far?

Haber: This is a very important point, because a generation gone uneducated will be easy prey for warlords and other spoilers of the peace process. One very important factor in this (and I hasten to underline that there are many others equally worthy of attention) is the payment of salaries in the public sector, and in particular of teachers. And this is closely related to the problems of the Central Bank, on the resolution of which the international community is now working intensely.

Two million Yemeni children are no longer in school

Vision Hope wishes to thank Ambassador Haber for taking the time to answer questions about the conflict in Yemen and the international response. He echoes the belief of Vision Hope in saying that historically, the Yemeni people have been very good at resolving conflicts. Once there is a resolution for the proxy war, Yemenis are likely to pursue their own peace, with continued assistance from international organizations and institutions.

 

In conjunction with conflict resolution, important steps to take in the peacebuilding process include funding education, improving food security, and promoting gender justice. Vision Hope continues to partner with institutions like the German government to advocate in these areas and work with local Yemeni organizations to gain access to locations that are in the most need. When the Yemeni state is once again functioning, additional partnerships with Yemen’s government will be utilized in order to implement advocacy and development projects that promote an ongoing capacity for peace and justice.

 

 

 

Learning to Trust

 

“I especially learned one thing in the youth center: everyone carries something within him. Everyone has a passion hidden inside, and your task is to find it. After you found it you have to work on it, and you can never lose faith and hope in it.” — Karim, youth center participant

At Vision Hope’s youth center in Tunisia, one activity that the youth do is a “trust fall.” They stand on top of a table and fall backwards, believing that their friends will catch them.

Aziz, Yousef, and Karim are young men who, through their participation in Vision Hope’s youth centers, learned the value of trusting other people. All three of them experienced challenging situations, but they found hope by discovering their passions and working towards a brighter futures for themselves. Staff members at the youth center were constantly there to support and uphold them, especially during dark days when hope seemed lost. Through this assistance, they learned to trust other people and believe in the power of pursuing their own dreams. We are so excited to share their stories with you.

When Aziz stumbled upon the youth center in his town of Mornaguia, on the outskirts of Tunis, the staff invited him inside and showed him the different activities that they offered, such as courses on journalism and drama. He quickly found the youth center to be such a safe and welcoming space that he participated in as many courses and programs as he could. As he learned to trust the people there, he opened up and began to share his story: Lack of financial resources had recently forced him to withdraw from a career-training program, and he had taken a job in a clothes factory. Since childhood, though, he had harbored a dream of being able to capture life as a photographer.

Shortly after Aziz began participating in the youth center’s activities, he had the opportunity to join the military, which would enable him to continue his studies. However, seven months later, his cousin joined a radical jihadist group in Syria, and the government classified Aziz and his family as a threat. The military discharged him, leaving him with very little hope for the future.

To help him cope with the anger and sadness, he spent a lot of time at the youth center, where the staff helped him through this very difficult situation. With their support, he began to find that he could trust others and even started to believe in his own dreams again.

When he saw a camera at the youth center, he asked if he could take some pictures with it. The staff said yes! He used it to capture scenes taking place around the youth center, including the trust fall. He was so thrilled at this opportunity that he spent hours watching YouTube tutorials on how to take better pictures. He even viewed productions of television shows so that he could see how the cameramen did their jobs.

He made many to find a job taking pictures but was continually turned down. The frustration at times became overwhelming. Still, the youth center staff helped him find the hope and trust that he needed to keep developing his skills and pursuing his dream.

Aziz entered numerous photography contests and won many prizes. Finally, in December 2017, he got his lucky break when he won his very own camera. It truly was a dream come true.

Today, he never leaves his house without his camera. He dreams of opening his own studio, which he wants to call Wings Photography. He also has plans to teach a photography class at the youth center so that others, like him, can learn to trust other people and find the hope that they need to follow their dreams.

“The most important thing in life is that you do not give up hope and keep faith in your dreams.” — Aziz

 

Click on Yousef’s and Karim’s pictures to read their stories.

 

“I always loved dancing as a kid. Dancing is like flying into another world. I start dreaming. It’s magic! It became my passion.” — Yousef

 

“I especially learned one thing in the youth center: everyone carries something within him. Everyone has a passion hidden inside, and your task is to find it. After you found it you have to work on it, and you can never lose faith and hope in it.” — Karim

Everyone Carries Something Within Him

19-year-old Karim has many struggles, but he finds himself in every story that he tells. He loves to share his stories with other people and wants to one day share them with the world.

Taking a course on journalism at the Vision Hope youth center in Tunis gave him an outlet for processing some difficult memories. However, because of negative coping strategies that he had developed, if he does not have the opportunity to type out his stories or share them with others, he often burns them.

Staff members at the youth center provided a computer and a safe place for Karim to type out the stories that he writes. They also helped him create a Facebook page, through which he shares them with his fans. Most importantly, the staff opened his eyes to see that his ability to tell stories is a gift that was placed within him, and he must nurture that gift so that he can share it with the world.

“I especially learned one thing in the youth center: Everyone carries something within him. Everyone has a passion hidden inside, and your task is to find it. After you find it you have to work on it, and you can never lose faith and hope in it.”

 

Read more stories from our youth in Tunisia.

“I always loved dancing as a kid. Dancing is like flying into another world. I start dreaming. It’s magic! It became my passion.” — Yousef

 

“The most important thing in life is that you do not give up hope and keep faith in your dreams.” — Aziz

Dancing Is My Passion

Yousef grew up in an area of Tunis where unemployment rates are high and youth often fall prey to radical ideologies. He struggled to make friends and, though intelligent, at 13 he dropped out of school because of violence by his classmates. He took a course in cooking, but the only job he found was washing dishes. Things changed when he became involved in Vision Hope’s youth center and rediscovered his passion for dance.

Staff at the youth center helped Yousef find work as an entertainer at events like birthday parties, so he is now able to earn a living doing what he loves. He is also gaining the self-confidence that he needs to continue pursuing his passion.

“I always loved dancing as a kid. Dancing is like flying into another world. I start dreaming. It’s magic! It became my passion.” — Yousef

 

Read more stories from our youth in Tunisia.

“I especially learned one thing in the youth center: Everyone carries something within him. Everyone has a passion hidden inside, and your task is to find it. After you find it you have to work on it, and you can never lose faith and hope in it.” — Karim

“The most important thing in life is that you do not give up hope and keep faith in your dreams.” — Aziz