Campaign on Early Marriage in Yemen

1. Campaign on Early Marriage in Yemen MDGs and Early Marriage nisha Photo: Oxfam GB Copyright: Women’s Studies and Development Centre, Women’s National Committee, Shima, and Oxfam GB

2. A brief background • Since 2001, Oxfam GB has been working towards ending violence against women in Yemen • Our partners in this endeavour include: • Human rights groups • Lawyers, researchers and activists from various walks of life • Women’s organizations & networks like Shima • Women’s Studies Development Centre, Sana’a University • Women’s National Committee Photo: Oxfam GB Campaign on Early Marriage in Yemen: Process and Results

3. To add to the existing efforts … • In 2004, we initiated a process to develop: • A project to address linkages between poverty and early marriage • A campaign which will link local level activism with national advocacy processes against early marriage Photo: Oxfam GB Photo: Oxfam GB Campaign on Early Marriage in Yemen: Process and Results

4. The idea of campaign … • Arose out of: • Debates and discussions involving Oxfam GB and its 11 partner organizations • Consultations with a range of actors including: • INGOs • Bilateral and multilateral organizations • Government • Parliamentarians • Two desk reviews • A mapping of early marriage in Yemen • A preliminary research on early marriage Photo: Oxfam GB Photo: Oxfam GB Campaign on Early Marriage in Yemen: Process and Results

5. The desk reviews revealed • Widespread prevalence of early marriage, mainly of girls • Al-Hodeidah is placed at the first and Hadhramaut at the 13th rank • Reason for prevalence included: • Poverty,illiteracy & lack of awareness • Culture and traditions • Desire to protect young girls and boys • Social pressures • Absence of legislation for minimum age of marriage • Need to develop nuanced understanding of reasons & linkages Illustration: Oxfam GB Campaign on Early Marriage in Yemen: Process and Results

6. Why Link Early Marriage with MDGS • Close linkages between women’s and child rights and MDGs • Early Marriage is a barrier to the achievement of goal 3 (gender equality) and 5 (maternal health) • Early Marriage is a violation of child rights which are essential for the achievement of the goals 1-4 (related to poverty & hunger, primary education, gender equality, & child mortality), 6 (HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases) and 8 (global partnerships) • Early Marriage as a barrier to development and therefore to the achievement of MDGs • 48.7% of Yemen’s population is below 15 years of age of which over 50% girls are likely to be married before 18 years of age • If early marriage is not addressed MDG related to the goals mentioned above cannot be achieved Photo: Oxfam GB Campaign on Early Marriage in Yemen: Process and Results

7. Research on Early Marriage in Yemen: Highlights • Prevalence: • Women: 52.1% • Men: 6.7% • Shift in the average age at marriage over three generation: • gradual rise from an average of 10.24 years to 14.70 years for women and from 20.97 to 21.54 years for men • Close linkages among survival of tribal system, joint families, endogamy and early marriage • Complex relationship between traditional gender roles and relations, and economic worth of women • Intersections with health, rights, education and livelihoods • Access to information, opportunities, social mobilization and facilitative structural mechanisms key needs of communities to change the practice • Communities desirous of change but hesitant in the absence of role models • Major threat to the campaign from religious powerholders Photo: bilwander Campaign on Early Marriage in Yemen: Process and Results

8. Research Findings: Marital Relations • Divorce, polygamy and remarriage : • Higher prevalence of divorce among women married early • More than one marriage by men married to women below 18 years • Remarriage of divorced girls accepted but extremely difficult, especially in Seiyun region • Sexual relations and health: • Experiences of wives below 18 years: • Unpreparedness for a sexual relationship and coercion into sex • Lack of information about sex, sexual and reproductive health and contraception • Lack of treatment of reproductive complications and STDs Photo: Oxfam GB Campaign on Early Marriage in Yemen: Process and Results

9. Research Finding: Maternal Health • Maternal health : • 19% of total maternal mortality among women in 15-19 age group • Median miscarriage 0.8 among below 18 and 0.56 among over 18 years old women • 65% women do not receive any reproductive health services • Prevalence of fistula, anemia and malnutrition among young (expecting & lactating) mothers Sébastien Carliez (ECHO) • Mental health: • Experiences of below 18 years old wives: • Poor skills and capacity to care for babies leading to anguish and anxiety among young mothers • Young wives feel sense of insecurity • Development of feelings of intimacy and affection gets affected Campaign on Early Marriage in Yemen: Process and Results

10. Research Finding: Education & Poverty • Poverty and Survival: • Early marriage implies: • No time for and access to opportunities to acquire life skills • Barrier to acquire economic, religious and social knowledge • Education: • Continuation in school delays marriage • Close connection between parents education level and daughter’s age at marriage – higher education, higher age at marriage • Links with dropout and decision to give up higher education Campaign on Early Marriage in Yemen: Process and Results

11. Positive Factors: • Advocacy efforts for a legislation to adopt 18 years as the legal minimum age at marriage already started by some organizations • Recognition of the issue in the civil society • Unregulated, mostly family owned media that is willing to partner provided the campaign brings benefits – financial, training, etc Research Findings: Pros and Cons • Challenges in reaching women: • Social isolation or segregation and lack of mobility • Social pressures and fears related to girls single hood and morality • Traditional bias against women’s entry in the public space • Class specific constraints • Kin group based social affiliations – preference is given to women’s mobility within the kin group activities Photo: Oxfam GB Campaign on Early Marriage in Yemen: Process and Results

12. Research Findings: More Challenges • Risks: Existing & Potential: • Gaps in commitment of the government • Gaps in programming capacity of partners • Inconsistent pace of the campaign Photo: Oxfam GB • Threats from different interpretations of the religion, including, attacks from some imams and muftis who may feel threatened or see the campaign as Western • Different conflicting views about the issue within participating organizations • Exclusion of women or their low participation due to segregation and lack of mobility Campaign on Early Marriage in Yemen: Process and Results

13. Suggested Future Course of Action • Work towards MDGs together with initiatives to ensure compliance with the six commitments • Link advocacy to adopt 18 years as the legal minimum age at marriage and benchmarks to assess progress in practice change with the goal 3, 4 and 5 • Link awareness raising about challenges like access to sex education, family planning, sexual health and so on that get further complicated due to early marriage with the goal 6 • To achieve goals 4-6 develop specific interventions to prevent early marriage. Because in Yemen, early sex and pregnancy, and consequent challenges related to reproductive and sexual health are closely associated with early marriage. Photo: midle-east online Photo: Oxfam GB Campaign on Early Marriage in Yemen: Process and Results