Married at 14: Syria's refugee child brides
Each year, childhood ends for an estimated 15 million girls around the world who marry before the age of 18, according to the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW). This episode of Talk to Al Jazeera looks at Syrian refugee girls who were married as children.
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A global problem
South Asia has the largest number of child brides, but early marriage happens all over the world.
Girls living in poverty are more at risk. Research shows that by marrying so young, girls stay trapped in the cycle of poverty. UNICEF says they usually drop out of school and, as a result, have poor job prospects.
The effect of the Syrian war
The Syrian war has created a mix of conditions that have pushed families to marry off their daughters: displacement, poverty, and fears about the so-called honour and safety of girls.
Since the war began in 2011, child marriage in the kingdom has risen from 15 to 36 per cent. European countries that have welcomed large numbers of Syrian refugees, such as Sweden and Germany, face a dilemma: allow child marriage, or separate families.
The cost to girls
Child brides often face domestic violence and limits on where they can go. They are often given no voice in family decisions.
Whatever reasons families give, the ICRW says, child marriage is "a violation of human rights and a form of violence against girls".