University students mobilise against child marriage

AMMAN — A group of students from Yarmouk University have launched a campaign to reduce the number of child marriages in Jordan.

“A group of 18 male and female students is working with Ana Usharek [I Participate in Arabic] a programme by the National Democratic Institute that is conducted under the umbrella of the Dean’s Office at our university,” said third-year student Hanan Momani.

Momani told The Jordan Times that the group decided to have their campaign target early marriage because “we felt that figures were on the rise in Jordan”.

Child marriage rates in Jordan have increased from 9.5 per cent in 2011 to 11.6 per cent in 2015, according to a study by the Higher Population Council.

Sisterhood Is Global Institute recently said that 223 marriage contracts are signed in the country on a daily basis, 30 of which involve individuals who are under the age of 18.

SIGI added that 402 out of 10,907 early marriages ended in divorce in 2016.  

For Momani, the regulations that were announced by the Cabinet last year “actually increased the number of early marriages”.

The new regulations addressed exceptions regarding the allowance of marriages between the age of 15 and 18. They included provisions that allow a maximum 15-year and less age difference between the husband and the wife, provided that the would-be husband is not married and that marriage would not prevent the girl from pursuing her education.

Under the provision, judges have the authority to decide if tying the knot for girls between 15 and 18 would be in their best interest and to permit the registration of the marriage contract. 

The court is also entitled to explain to the girl that she has the right “to place conditions that will be to her benefit”. 

The group opened a Facebook page titled “Bent 15” (Girl 15) to raise awareness about the issue and discuss the goals of the campaign.

The page includes a list of the students’ goals, which include stricter monitoring of exceptions that allow early marriages, ensuring compulsory education for both sexes until the age of 16 and raising society’s awareness “to ensure an end to this phenomenon”.

Momani added that the group contacted several organisations to build a coalition to “combat this phenomenon and to address all the problems that are occurring as a result of early marriages”.

 “We will continue to work on this topic until we see that the numbers of early marriages are decreasing,” she added.