Ending Child Marriage in Muslim Majority Countries: The Implementation Gap

Abstract

In some Muslim majority countries, the government's promotion of girls' education conflicts with the culture of child marriage. In some universities in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries teachers are advised to be "sympathetic" in rescheduling the girl students' examinations (if warranted due to matrimonial or pregnancy related issues), and in marking the girls' absence resulting from their children's health issues. In one semester a good student skipped the discussions in a morning class because he had to take turn at night to take care of his younger sister's newborn baby "because she is too young to sacrifice her own sleep". As per a UNICEF report in 2023, among the 20-24-year-old women worldwide 20% were married as a child-20% decline in a decade.

Keywords: Bangladesh, Child marriage, Child rights in Islam, CEDAW, Education, Human rights in Islam, Intentional homicide rates, Malaysia, Marriage laws, Muslim majority countries, Pakistan, Minimum marriage age, Muslim women, Slave, TFR, Total fertility rate, Public interest in Islam, Maslaha or maslahah

JEL Classification: Z12, Z18