By Brian Khabeko (Kenya)
As chaos and the harsh grip of drought persists, something deeply troubling is happening: child marriages are skyrocketing in South Sudan and the arid parts of North Eastern Kenya and in Africa generally? I don’t know. It’s a desperate situation where parents, struggling with the grim realities of conflict and climate change, are resorting to trading their daughters for cows and goats in order to survive in the face of adversity.
Africa, with nine out of the top ten countries having the highest rates of underage unions, is witnessing a heart-breaking trend. The reasons are diverse – tradition, family ties, poverty, and the stigma of unwed pregnancy. But now, the shadows of conflict and climate change are casting a dark influence.
In war-ravaged South Sudan, economic hardship has driven parents to accept up to 300 cows as dowry for their daughters, a stark jump from the peacetime norm of 30 cows. This isn’t just about cultural norms; it’s a brutal consequence of the prolonged civil war since 2013. As the nation grapples with hunger, inflation, and declining oil output, parents see marrying off their daughters as a grim strategy to ease the burden of mouths to feed.
Simultaneously, in drought-hit Kenya, herders are making heart-breaking choices. The scarcity of goats has forced desperate parents to sell their daughters for marriage during severe droughts that claim numerous animal lives. Families, confronted with the brutal reality of survival, find themselves pushed to marry off their daughters at younger ages during these crises. It’s a painful decision with serious consequences – terse girls sacrifice their education and any chance of a promising future.
This grim exchange of girls for livestock resonates across the landscape, highlighting the urgent need to break this distressing cycle. Despite a global decrease in child marriages, the toll still hits a staggering 12 million underage girls annually. Each sacrifice is a poignant blow to their health and education, underlining the pressing need for comprehensive interventions to protect the vulnerable and break the chains that bind them to such dire destinies.