Addis Abeba — Child and forced marriage in Ethiopia's Tigray region remains one of the most pressing yet under-recognized gendered consequences of the recent war. The 2020-2022 war abruptly reversed decades of progress achieved through sustained efforts in education, advocacy, and community mobilization. This practice, which was previously in decline, has re-emerged as a desperate survival mechanism amidst the current challenges of famine, displacement, and systemic collapse.
This article draws on research compiled by GEMTigray, (Gender Empowerment Movement Tigray), a movement advocating for the economic, political, and social empowerment of women and girls, to examine the root causes, challenges, and strategic approaches for addressing child and forced marriage within the context of Tigray's fragile recovery.
Poverty, power, pressures of war
Child marriage in Tigray has deep structural roots--poverty, gender inequality, harmful traditions, and limited access to education. The genocidal war that engulfed the region drastically worsened each of these factors.
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A 2022 investigation by the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy found "a reasonable basis to believe that members of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF), Amhara Special Forces, and Eritrean Defence Forces have committed genocide against Tigrayans." Similarly, Human Rights Watch concluded that ethnic cleansing took place in Western Tigray.
These realities left families destitute, governance paralyzed, and protective systems--schools, courts, and child services--collapsed. Awareness campaigns or laws cannot succeed in such an environment; families often resort to early marriage as a survival mechanism in the face of hunger and displacement.
The humanitarian crisis in Tigray continues to foster conditions that fuel early and forced marriage. Nearly one million people have been displaced, fracturing family units and eroding community support systems. Widespread famine has left families so desperate that marrying off daughters is often perceived as a means of survival. Essential services--including health care, education, and gender-based violence (GBV) response programs--have been severely degraded or dismantled entirely.
Compounding these challenges, conflict-related sexual violence has been systematically deployed as a weapon of war, with coercive marriages and mass rape leaving survivors deeply traumatized and without adequate protection. For many families, marrying off their daughters may thus appear to be a tragic yet rational act of survival in the face of extreme deprivation, insecurity, and lost opportunity.
Policy Gaps: Supporting survivors, protecting at-risk girls
Ethiopia's Revised Family Code establishes the minimum age of marriage at 18, aligning with both the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Between 2005 and 2016, Tigray achieved a 38% reduction in child marriage among women aged 20-24--a decline largely attributed to community-based enforcement and targeted education campaigns. However, these hard-won gains are now at risk of being undone by the collapse of governance and social infrastructure during the war.
Citing 2022 data, UNICEF revealed that Ethiopia's national budget lacks disaggregated funding for child marriage prevention programs, a gap that also affects Tigray. Without consistent and dedicated investment, such efforts remain fragmented, under-resourced, and ultimately unsustainable.
Despite the fact that education and livelihoods serve as powerful alternatives to early marriage, the war in Tigray destroyed 88% of the region's schools. UNFPA and other humanitarian actors have attempted to expand reproductive health and psychosocial services, but limited access and insecurity have prevented large-scale delivery. Despite immense challenges, community-based prevention and local leadership have shown promise. Programs that engage have succeeded in shifting attitudes, especially when paired with livelihood support and safe spaces for girls.
The humanitarian crisis in Tigray continues to foster conditions that fuel early and forced marriage."
Digital tools could expand awareness and improve data collection, but Tigray faces severe connectivity barriers. Prolonged internet shutdowns have made digital outreach dangerous and unreliable. Practical innovations--such as community radio, solar-powered education kits, and offline data systems--offer safer and more realistic alternatives under current conditions.
Accurate data is essential for effective programming but remains scarce in Tigray. National surveys like the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) lack timely, disaggregated data for conflict-affected areas. Local qualitative research--conducted through focus groups and mapping by women's organizations--remains vital but difficult due to insecurity and displacement. Any data collection must adhere to standards.
Guidelines for change
Drawing from research, GEM Tigray proposes practical guidelines intended to reduce and ultimately eliminate child and forced marriage in post-war Tigray.
First, adopt multi-component approaches that integrate education, protection, and livelihood support within a single, cohesive program cycle backed by long-term funding. Another critical priority must be to rebuild and strengthen education systems through the restoration of damaged schools, the creation of safe learning environments for displaced children, and the establishment of links between education and vocational training. Concurrently, efforts must support household livelihoods by providing cash assistance, microgrants, and vocational programs to alleviate the economic pressures that are driving child marriage.
Furthermore, it is essential to engage communities and shift prevailing norms by collaborating with elders, faith leaders, and families to champion girls' education and actively reinforce the legal age of marriage. The security environment requires a focus on strengthening legal and protection systems, which involves rebuilding local justice institutions, training law enforcement personnel, and ensuring the development of survivor-centered reporting mechanisms. Comprehensive support must be provided to survivors by expanding access to sexual and reproductive health care, psychosocial support, and educational opportunities for girls who are either married or at risk.
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In addition, policy formulation must be data-driven, requiring investment in regional-level surveys, the integration of child marriage indicators into humanitarian planning, and the explicit linkage of data to budget allocations. Where outreach is concerned, it is prudent to incorporate digital and innovative solutions by prioritizing low-tech outreach methods, such as radio and print materials, while simultaneously ensuring data privacy and security. Finally, the success of these efforts hinges upon securing long-term financing and partnerships, which means embedding child marriage prevention into official post-war recovery plans and guaranteeing transparent, accountable funding mechanisms.
Ending child and forced marriage in Tigray is not only a matter of gender justice--it is central to rebuilding a society devastated by war and famine. Sustainable solutions must address root causes: poverty, inequality, displacement, and the destruction of institutions. Ending child marriage is not merely about preventing harm--it is about restoring dignity, opportunity, and hope for the next generation of Tigrayan women and girls. AS
Editor's Note: Batseba Seifu is the Founder and Chairperson of the Gender Empowerment Movement Tigray, an organization dedicated to advancing the social, economic, and political empowerment of women and girls in Tigray. She holds a Master of Public Administration from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts with distinction from Central Washington University.
