By Jones Anlimah
Prolonged drought is increasing the risk of child marriage as families lose crops, livestock and sources of income, forcing some to marry off their daughters as a means of coping with economic hardship, a new global study by Plan International has found.
The study, which analysed climate and health data from 52 low- and middle-income countries over three decades, identified prolonged drought as the climate hazard most consistently associated with rising rates of child marriage and early unions.
Plan International says unlike sudden disasters such as floods and cyclones, drought often develops gradually, allowing its effects on families and girls to accumulate over months and years without triggering an immediate emergency response.
According to the organisation, the loss of household income and livelihoods can disrupt girls’ education and increase pressure on families to marry them at a young age.
A 22-year-old participant from Kenya, Galgalo, described how the loss of her family’s livestock affected her education.
“My father has no livestock to sell and take me to college, that’s how I accepted to be married off.”
The research further found that girls whose education was disrupted were twice as likely to marry young or experience an unintended pregnancy, highlighting education as one of the most consistent protective factors against the effects of climate shocks.
Climate shocks and rising risks
The study combined secondary analysis of Demographic and Health Survey data with climate-hazard data covering 52 countries over three decades.
It also surveyed 5,000 girls and young women aged between 15 and 24 in Bangladesh, Kenya, Peru, Senegal and Zimbabwe, alongside interviews and focus group discussions with 139 girls and young women.
The findings indicate that the consequences of climate shocks extend beyond loss of homes, crops and livelihoods.
One in 10 girls surveyed said they had personally experienced an unintended pregnancy following a climate-related event, while 33 per cent reported an increase in unintended pregnancies in their communities.
Similarly, one in 10 said they had personally married before the age of 18, while 36 per cent reported seeing more girls married or entering unions before the age of 18 following climate-related disasters.
More than a quarter of respondents, or 28 per cent, also reported observing increased violence against women and girls following climate-related events.
Health services affected
The study found that climate shocks also make it more difficult for girls and young women to access essential health services.
About 76 per cent of girls surveyed said more girls and young women in their communities were struggling to access at least one health service following climate-related events.
The figure increased to 84 per cent among girls affected by drought.
The services affected include menstrual health support, maternity care, counselling, contraception, protection services and sexual health education.
Almost half of the respondents, 49 per cent, also reported seeing an increase in pregnancy or childbirth-related complications, including miscarriages, while nearly one in four said access to healthcare during pregnancy and delivery had become more difficult.
Marginalised girls worst affected
Plan International says the impacts are particularly severe for girls from minority and marginalised communities.
The research found that girls from minority communities were twice as likely to struggle to access services, nearly three times as likely to report an unintended pregnancy and more than twice as likely to face pressure to marry young.
The organisation says climate shocks can also expose girls to sexual exploitation, particularly when families lose their livelihoods and existing protection systems break down.
Girls participating in the study reported being pressured to exchange sex for money or basic necessities, while overcrowded and poorly lit emergency shelters increased the risk of harassment and sexual violence.
Call for action
Plan International is calling on governments and donors to integrate the protection of girls into climate adaptation and disaster-response policies.
It wants governments to keep schools open and free during climate shocks and allocate a defined share of climate adaptation financing to adolescent girls’ health, including sexual and reproductive health services, contraception and maternity care.
The organisation is also calling for menstrual products, contraception and protection services to be included in emergency response packages from the beginning of a crisis.
Plan International Chief Executive Officer, Reena Ghelani, said girls should no longer be treated as an afterthought in climate action.
She said evidence already existed on what puts girls at risk and what protects them, stressing that greater urgency was needed to translate the evidence into action.
The findings contribute to discussions around Sustainable Development Goal 5 on Gender Equality, SDG 4 on Quality Education, SDG 3 on Good Health and Well-being, and SDG 13 on Climate Action.
Plan International says ensuring girls remain in school, have access to health services and are protected during climate shocks will be critical to preventing climate-related economic hardship from translating into child marriage and other forms of exploitation.
