Daughters are sold for cows and goats in South Sudan and Kenya as war and climate change plague East Africa
In Kenya and South Sudan, child marriage is on the rise, often with devastating consequences
Child marriage is increasing in parts of war-torn South Sudan and drought-hit Kenya as parents swap their daughters for cows and goats to survive, campaigners said on Wednesday.
Africa accounts for nine out of the 10 countries with the highest rates of underage unions globally, advocacy group Girls Not Brides said, with girls marrying due to tradition, family ties, poverty and the stigma of pregnancy out of wedlock.
But long-running wars and climate change are now leading factors too, activists said, highlighting a rise in marriage among girls under the age of 18 in South Sudan to 52 per cent from 40 per cent in 2010, according to United Nations data.
“The conflicts just worsened the situation,” said Dorcas Acen, a gender protection expert at the charity Care International in South Sudan.
“Majority of the parents wish to give up their girls and marry them off because of the economic hardship,” she said. “They are looking at how to reduce the number of mouths they need to feed.”