Suhair Al-Idlibi

Idlib - The Syrian civil war has played a major role in increasing child marriage. Girls find themselves wives and mothers being responsible for everything that exceed their age and energy, instead of spending their childhood in school.

Rama Fouad's mother greatly regretted when she realized that she had destroyed her daughter's life by allowing her to marry because her daughter was just a minor. Her mother thought that marriage would protect her daughter against ongoing difficult circumstances that she faced, but the results were deferent, and Rama soon was pregnant, she returned to her family's home after her divorce.

Rama Fouad’s mother says, "I thought that my decision to allow my daughter to marry my daughter was right, I wanted to protect her because we had been displaced from our city Kafar Nabel and we have lived in Sarmada camp, but I made a mistake and I destroy her future". 

Rama Fouad got married two years ago when she was 13 years old. And she suffered from her ex-husband’s nervous temper throughout their marriage, she lived with him along with family members and his family members humiliated and insulted her and treated her as a servant and they beat her, so Rama had to leave her house and go back to the camp.

Rama Fouad says " I was unable to do all the duties because I didn’t know how to do domestic works such as cooking and cleaning the house, I tried to learn them quickly, to not being criticized by them, but I could not do that, so, I decided to leave to get rid of all sufferings. "

The effects of the Syrian civil war, which has entered its tenth year, have been seen in education, economy, and social life. People cannot go to school; they have suffered from displacement and poverty.  Under these circumstances, the girls marry 18.

One of these girls is Lahnan Al-Omar (18). She had to leave the school and displaced with her family from Khan Sheikhoun city to the Qah camps near the northern Syrian border.

 Hanan Omar loved studying with great ambitions within her, but there were no educational centers or preparatory schools in the camps she lived.  And she had to leave her education life and married a man. She was 14 years old when she married and her husband was nine years older and working in the motorcycle trade. Now she has two sons and she is trying to protect her family and children and to fulfill her duties. She buried her ambitions inside her because the ongoing civil war prevented her from her education life.

Mays Aliwi, a social counselor, says there are several reasons for child marriage. The most important reason is the poverty that has spread in the Syrian society, so poor families marry girls to get rid of their expenses.

Other reasons are customs and traditions, and ignorance. The families do not know the risk and harm of child marriage for children. A child is unable to take the responsibility for a husband, children, and other family members.

Talking about the psychological and social implications of child marriage, she says, "Many of them suffer from serious psychological disorders because of the shock that they are subjected to. They are not ready for this sudden change in their lives and they become an adult when they are children. For this reason, they suffer from severe depression and anxiety. The children also lose their social identity because they feel lost.  They cannot make decisions; they don’t have the education and experience to deal with children and marital life.

Talking about the negative consequences of child marriage, social counselor Mays Aliwi stresses that campaigns should be launched to raise the awareness of parents; to understand how child marriage is dangerous not only for children but also for society.

Child marriage is considered one of the most dangerous social phenomena that lead to many disasters and social and psychological problems. This phenomenon increases in places of conflict and displacement camps, among girls aged between nine and 15.