The wedding bells of war: The influence of armed conflict on child marriages in West Africa

Matthew DiGiuseppe and Roos Haer
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Matthew DiGiuseppe: Institute of Political Science, Leiden University
Roos Haer: Institute of Political Science, Leiden University

Journal of Peace Research, 2023, vol. 60, issue 3, 474-488

Abstract: Child marriage is a fundamental violation of human rights. It hinders progress towards development and public health goals. In this study, we argue that armed conflict plays an important role in the occurrence of child marriages; it influences the supply of and demand for young brides. We argue that in conflict settings, families are more willing to marry off their young daughters for protection. Armed conflict can also influence the demand: marriage in general declines due to an imbalance in sex ratio. However, in cases where belligerents use war tactics specifically focused on harming girls, such as sexual violence and girl recruitment, early marriage might increase as the result of armed conflict. To empirically examine these linkages, we combine the Demographic and Health Surveys of West Africa with information on the location of armed conflict. Our study shows that armed conflict generally reduces the occurrence of child marriage with 13% to 18%. However, we observe that when conflict actors use war tactics that specifically harm young girls there is a significant increase of 12% to 18% in the probability of a girl getting married before the age of 18. This research has important implications for our understanding of the relationship between armed conflict, gender inequality, and their impact on children.

Keywords: armed conflict; child marriage; early marriage; wedding; West Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:joupea:v:60:y:2023:i:3:p:474-488

DOI: 10.1177/00223433221080056

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