Estimates of early marriage among Syrian refugees in Lebanon in 2016 compared to Syria pre-2011

Abstract

In addition to its well-known negative health outcomes, early marriage (EM) places adolescent girls on a poor education and social trajectory. Limited evidence exists as to whether EM increases or decreases post-displacement. It has been compellingly argued that EM has increased among Syrian refugees compared to its rates before the Syria crisis. Yet, most of the available evidence relies on small, non-probability samples and does not draw comparisons between EM before and after displacement. We examined EM estimates and characteristics among Syrian refugees in Lebanon 2016 comparing it to EM in Syria 2009.