Child marriage experience among Syrian Kurdish refugees: A case study in Domiz Camp, Duhok City, Iraq

Child marriage is a universal phenomenon that is predominantly occurring in underdeveloped countries. Contributing factors to child marriage may vary across cultures. Previous research reveals that child marriage may be expected in refugee camps due to security factors, mainly to protect a girl’s dignity and their family’s reputation. Therefore, the current research proposes to examine child marriage among Syrian-Kurdish refugees in Iraq and its impact on social well-being. This study investigates factors that underlie child marriage among refugees, and what can be done to mitigate the situation. A qualitative case study design utilizing purposive and snowball sampling was adopted for this study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, coded, and analysed according to themes and subthemes. Thirty-three (33) participants, which include (i) 10 young wife participants between the ages of 16 to 22 years who were married before 18, (ii) 13 people in three Focus Group Discussions (five mothers, four fathers, and four husbands), as well as (iii) 10 key informants, were selected for the study. Safety and camp situations, love relationships, and parental support to maintain a family reputation were reasons for child marriage. Child marriage contributes to the girl’s social integration, acceptance, and coherence. However, it is found to negatively impact social contribution and actualization. Dropping out of school, psycho-social problems such as conflicts with the parents-in-law, domestic violence, and divorce are the most common impacts of child marriage. There are two approaches to mitigating child marriage: prevention and intervention. The most common method for mitigating child marriage is by raising awareness through different channels and at different levels of society. The study contributes to the knowledge of child marriage experiences in Domiz Camp-Iraq. Future researchers should focus on child marriage outside of refugee camps.