Climate Change Linked to Increasing Child Marriages in Developing Countries
A recent report by French newspaper Le Parisien connects climate change to the rise of child marriages in developing countries. The article highlights how natural disasters drive impoverished families to marry off their daughters at younger ages. Girls as young as 12 are affected, with examples from countries such as Bangladesh and Kenya.
Le Parisien emphasized that weather-related catastrophes destroy livelihoods and homes, leading families to consider early marriage for their daughters. This claim is based on a study by Plan International, which found that after climate-related disasters, 36% of the surveyed girls and young women observed an increase in child marriages.
“In Bangladesh, Kenya, and elsewhere, climate disasters worsen child marriages,” the newspaper reported. “By destroying incomes and homes, they push some families to marry off their daughters at younger ages.”
The report faced criticism from Tina Descovich, CEO and co-founder of Moms for Liberty. She disputed the notion of blaming climate change for child marriages, stating it deflects responsibility from those exploiting children. Descovich argues for the importance of strong families and personal accountability in protecting children.
An example in the report involved a 12-year-old Bangladeshi girl married shortly after a cyclone. Her marriage followed harassment incidents in a cyclone shelter. She later gave birth to a child who passed away, affecting her health.
Another case involved a 15-year-old girl named Runa from Bangladesh. A cyclone ruined her family’s income, prompting her widowed mother to arrange her marriage. This disrupted her education, although aid organizations later facilitated her return to school.
UNICEF’s 2025 survey recorded that 47.2% of women aged 20 to 24 in Bangladesh were married before 18. Poverty, gender norms, education barriers, and climate disasters contribute to the issue, according to UNICEF. The Child Marriage Restraint Act of 2017 in Bangladesh restricts marriage for girls under 18 but allows exceptions with parental consent and court approval under specific conditions.
Plan International stresses climate disasters add financial strain on families dependent on agriculture and livestock. Tanushree Soni from the organization explained that financial stress leads some families to marry off daughters.
The findings indicate a relationship between weather disasters and child marriage. However, they do not confirm that human-caused climate change directly caused individual marriages highlighted in the report.