Forced Into Underage Marriages, Kyrgyz And Tajik Girls See Dreams Derailed – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Report on Child Marriage in Central Asia and its Impact on Sustainable Development Goals

Child, early, and forced marriage in Central Asian nations like Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan presents a significant barrier to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This practice systematically undermines the rights and futures of young girls, directly contravening international agreements and impeding progress across multiple development sectors. Statistical data indicates a concerning prevalence, with approximately 9% of marriages in Tajikistan and 13% in Kyrgyzstan involving girls under the age of 18. These figures represent a profound challenge to gender equality, education, health, and economic stability in the region.

Case Studies: The Human Cost of Contravening SDG 5

The personal accounts of young women subjected to early marriage provide a stark illustration of the practice’s devastating impact on individual lives and its direct opposition to SDG 5 (Gender Equality).

Case Study: Nigora, Tajikistan

Nigora was married at 17, forcing an immediate end to her education, a direct violation of her right to quality education as outlined in SDG 4. Her new life consisted of relentless domestic labor, leading to physical and mental exhaustion. This situation highlights the unequal power dynamics and gender-based discrimination that SDG 5 seeks to eliminate. Subsequently, two miscarriages, likely exacerbated by the health risks of early pregnancy, underscore the severe challenges to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being). Now 19 and divorced, Nigora faces a future without education or economic prospects, demonstrating how early marriage perpetuates a cycle of poverty and limits opportunities for decent work, undermining SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

Case Study: Asel, Kyrgyzstan

Asel’s experience of being kidnapped at 16 and forced into marriage exemplifies the harmful traditional practices that SDG 5.3 aims to eradicate. The complicity of family and community in the forced union highlights a failure of social and legal structures to protect minors, a key concern of SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). The abrupt termination of her artistic ambitions and education represents a significant loss of human potential, directly conflicting with the objectives of SDG 4. Her current state of being without time or strength for personal development is a testament to the profound personal and societal costs of failing to ensure gender equality.

Systemic Failures and Multi-Dimensional Impacts on Sustainable Development

The persistence of child marriage is enabled by a combination of legal loopholes, weak institutional enforcement, and entrenched social customs that contravene multiple SDGs.

Legal and Institutional Deficiencies

Despite international conventions setting the minimum age of marriage at 18, local legal systems in the region sometimes permit underage marriage, particularly in cases of financial hardship. This institutional failure to protect vulnerable children is a direct challenge to SDG 16.2, which calls for an end to abuse, exploitation, and violence against children. The practice of bride kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan further demonstrates a breakdown in the rule of law and access to justice for victims.

Impact Across Sustainable Development Goals

The consequences of child marriage create a cascading negative effect across numerous SDGs. An analysis by legal experts from Equality Now confirms the severe and lasting impact:

• SDG 4 (Quality Education): The primary and most immediate consequence is the loss of educational opportunities. Girls are typically forced to abandon their schooling, which severely limits their potential for higher education and skilled employment.
• SDG 5 (Gender Equality): Child marriage is a fundamental violation of girls’ rights. It reinforces harmful gender stereotypes and unequal power relations, often leading to a lifetime of subordination and increased vulnerability to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.
• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): Early and frequent pregnancies are common, carrying elevated health risks for young mothers, including complications during childbirth and higher rates of miscarriage. The mental and physical toll of domestic servitude also negatively impacts well-being.
• SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): Lacking education and skills, child brides are often economically dependent on their husbands and families, excluding them from formal employment and hindering their ability to contribute to economic growth.

A Multi-Sectoral Strategy for Achieving SDG Targets

Addressing the root causes of child marriage requires a comprehensive approach that integrates legal reform with social and economic interventions, aligning with the interconnected nature of the SDGs.

Legislative Reform and Enforcement

While nations like Kyrgyzstan have taken steps to criminalize child and forced marriage, legal measures alone are insufficient. Effective implementation and enforcement of these laws are critical to fulfilling the mandate of SDG 16 to build effective and accountable institutions that protect the rights of all citizens, especially vulnerable children.

Recommendations for a Comprehensive Approach

A multi-sectoral strategy is essential for creating an environment where girls can thrive and the goals of sustainable development can be met. Key components of this strategy include:

1. Strengthening Legal Frameworks: Closing all legal loopholes that permit underage marriage and ensuring robust enforcement to provide justice for victims, in line with SDG 16.
2. Raising Public Awareness: Launching campaigns to challenge and change the social norms and traditions that perpetuate child marriage, advancing the goals of SDG 5.
3. Providing Comprehensive Support Services: Establishing accessible health, legal, and psychological support systems for girls at risk and for those who have escaped forced marriages, contributing to SDG 3 and SDG 5.
4. Promoting Economic Empowerment: Investing in girls’ education and vocational training to provide pathways to economic independence, directly supporting SDG 4, SDG 8, and SDG 1.
5. Engaging Communities: Working with community leaders, elders, and parents to foster a collective commitment to ending child marriage and protecting girls’ futures.

Ultimately, progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals in Central Asia is intrinsically linked to the empowerment of its young women. Upholding a girl’s right to choose when and whom she marries is not only a matter of individual human rights but a fundamental prerequisite for building a just, healthy, and prosperous society.

Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 1: No Poverty
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 5: Gender Equality
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Target 5.3: Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage. The entire article focuses on this issue, detailing the stories of Nigora and Asel who were forced into marriage before the age of 18. It explicitly mentions that child and forced marriages are prevalent in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

2. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education. The article highlights how child marriage directly prevents this. Nigora “stopped attending school” after her marriage, and Asel, who was in ninth grade, had her education cut short. The legal adviser notes that a primary impact is the “loss of education,” as “most girls are forced to drop out of school.”
   • Target 4.5: By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education. The practice of child marriage described in the article exclusively affects girls, creating a significant gender disparity in educational opportunities and attainment.

3. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.7: By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services. The article points to the consequences of a lack of such access, stating that “early pregnancies are common for girls married as teens, and can carry elevated risks, including potential complications during childbirth.” Nigora’s story of suffering two miscarriages underscores these health risks.

4. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children. Child marriage is presented as a form of abuse. The article mentions that girls can be exposed to “physical, emotional, and sexual abuse” and that Asel was subjected to “kidnapping by suitors,” a clear act of violence and abduction.
   • Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all. The article discusses the legal aspects, mentioning “legal loopholes” that allow underage marriage, the need to “strengthen legal frameworks,” and steps taken in Kyrgyzstan to criminalize the practice. This shows a direct connection to the implementation and enforcement of laws to protect children.

5. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Target 8.6: By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training (NEET). Child marriage is shown to be a direct cause of girls becoming NEET. After her marriage ended, Nigora states, “I have no education, no money, and I don’t know where to start,” perfectly describing her status as a youth not in employment, education, or training.

6. SDG 1: No Poverty

   • Target 1.3: Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all. The article implies a link between poverty and child marriage by stating that judges can approve the marriage of a minor by “citing financial hardship faced by the girl’s family.” This suggests that a lack of social protection for poor families is a contributing factor to this harmful practice.

Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Indicator 5.3.1: Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before age 18. The article provides specific data for this indicator, stating that “about 9 percent of marriages in Tajikistan involve a girl under 18. In Kyrgyzstan, the number is around 13 percent.”

2. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Indicator 3.7.2: Adolescent birth rate (aged 15-19 years). While no specific number is provided, the article directly implies this indicator by stating that “early pregnancies are common for girls married as teens.” The prevalence of this phenomenon is a measure of this indicator.

3. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Indicator 8.6.1: Proportion of youth (aged 15-24 years) not in employment, education or training (NEET). Nigora’s situation is a qualitative example of this indicator. At 19, she is divorced with “no education, no money,” fitting the definition of a NEET youth as a direct consequence of child marriage.

4. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Qualitative Indicators for Target 16.3: The article mentions the existence of legal frameworks and their enforcement as an implied indicator. It notes that “In Kyrgyzstan, the Criminal Code was amended, and child [marriage] and forced marriage have been criminalized,” which serves as an indicator of institutional progress. Conversely, the mention of “legal loopholes” indicates a lack of progress.
   • Indicator 16.2.1: Proportion of children aged 1–17 years who experienced any physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by caregivers in the past month. The article implies this through the story of Asel’s kidnapping and forced marriage by her suitor and his family, and the general mention of “physical, emotional, and sexual abuse” within these marriages.

Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: rferl.org