Choosing whether when and who to marry is one of the most important personal decisions that one can make.
Yet, in many places around the world, girls and boys are forced into marriage before they’re ready, a practice known as “child marriage”.
On Friday, KMET, a local NGO in Kisumu in partnership with International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) released study results on child marriage.
They conducted intensive qualitative research in Kisumu County with the objective of exploring and documenting the contextual factors that both propagate and prevent child marriage and to understand the process by which adolescent girls get married.
The results were disseminated at KMET Conference hall.
According to the study report presented by Suzzane Petroni of ICRW, what emerged were two direct precursors to child marriage across the study communities; school dropout and pregnancy.
Each of these drivers stemmed from a much broader context experienced by girls living in both study locations.
Additionally, it’s also stated that there is an ongoing process of social change regarding the recognition of adolescence as a distinct life stage and the related tensions involved in the negotiation of the rights and expectations of adolescents at both the family and community level.
Furthermore the study also highlighted that the perspective of many parents and adults, adolescent girls’ attitudes and behavior were the primary reasons for school dropout and are key drivers steaming school dropout.
“Some parents and adult community members expressed feelings of helplessness and lack of control over girls’ schooling decisions. Some went as far as to suggest that girls dropped out of school precisely because they wanted to get married,” it stated.
Speaking at the forum, County CeC for Education, Youth, Culture and Social services, Mr Jennifer Okere said that it is a collective responsibility of mothers, fathers and the community as a whole should ensure early child marriage ends.
In line with teenage pregnancy, the study also found out that most adolescents have limited access to information about sexuality and to sexual and reproductive health and rights meant that many girls and community members did not understand their rights to determine whether, when and with whom to have sex, or their right to access information and services that could meet their sexual and reproductive health needs, including contraception.
A statistical analysis of the study report showed that only 23.2 percent of girls in Kenya complete secondary education and 20.3 percent of girls get their first birth before the age of 18.
Interestingly, 22.2 percent of girls get married before the age of 18.
While giving possible solutions to the findings, the report suggested that wider-reaching and more robust programmes and policies are required to address some of the well-established challenges faced by adolescent girls that can result in child marriage and other negative consequences across Kenya.
“With greater opportunities and support from parents and communities, girls won’t be driven by circumstances into marrying early.
Instead, they will be able to realise their full capabilities and increase not only their own well-being, but that of their communities and countries as well,” the report read in part.
The study was conducted in Manyatta and Osiri both in Kisumu County.