| | | |

Global Food Crisis Increases Forced Child Marriage – Eminetra Canada

OTTAWA — A global food crisis exacerbated by the war in Ukraine is leading to more underage girls being forced into marriage, Canadian aid agencies warn.

Plan International Canada said there has been an alarming rise in the number of teenage girls in developing countries who are being forced into marriage because their families cannot afford to provide for them.

Every year, 12 million girls under the age of 18 become brides as children and are forced to abandon school, risking their health through early pregnancy, the agency said.

has fallen by 15% over the past decade, but warns that the pressure on families is now reversed.

The problem is acute in countries facing food shortages, such as South Sudan, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad and Afghanistan, where girls are frequently forced out of school to marry.

According to Plan, Bangladesh has one of the highest underage marriage rates for girls in the world. Ukraine's crops have been hit by severe flooding this year and rely on Ukraine for much of their wheat.

Tanjeena Mirza, chief program officer at Plan International Canada, said investment in education in Bangladesh has led to fewer girls being forced into marriage, but the trend has been driven by poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition. It is threatened by the effects of climate change.

She said plan employees on the ground are reporting that more girls are being pulled out of school to marry in areas of severe food shortage.


School feeding programs, including those that give take-home rations to encourage students to stay in school, have been closed due to shortages, Mirza said in an interview.

She said the plan is increasing food supplies, including a school lunch program, to keep children in school.

Plan International Canada said there has been an alarming rise in the number of teenage girls in developing countries who are being forced into marriage because their families cannot afford to provide for them.

Mirza said 345 million people are suffering from hunger, including in Ethiopia, South Sudan, Haiti, Burkina Faso and Niger.

She said 50 million people in 45 countries could face famine this year, and when hunger hits societies, the needs of girls, especially adolescent girls, are often ignored.

“We are currently facing a devastating hunger situation that is affecting millions of children around the world. It puts them at risk and reduces the financial burden on their families.In many cases, one less mouth to eat and one less child to go to school is a matter of survival.”

She says “parents facing dire circumstances” are arranging marriages for their teenage daughters, but this is perpetuating the “cycle of poverty and hunger.”

According to Plan, nearly 1 in 5 girls worldwide are married before the age of 18.

Complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for girls aged 15-19.

 

World Vision reports that more than 22 million people in Afghanistan are suffering from hunger, and girls are forced out of school or placed in violent households because their families cannot afford to feed them.

“Afghanistan is currently facing its worst hunger crisis in memory. Latest statistics show…55% of the population faces severe levels of food insecurity and malnutrition, and children is dead,” said Asuntha Charles, National Director of World Vision Afghanistan. Especially girls. ”

Reyhana Patel, director of communications and government relations at Islamic Relief Canada, said employees working in Afghanistan were reporting a “horrific humanitarian crisis unfolding.”

“We've met mothers who had to marry so their daughters could eat,” she said.

Haley Hodgson, a spokeswoman for International Development Minister Harjit Sajan, said she was working “to work with international partners to hold the Taliban accountable for the horrific treatment and discrimination against women and girls.” rice field.

The war in Ukraine has deprived the World Food Programme, one of the aid agencies feeding Afghanistan, of a major source of wheat.

Grain and fuel prices have also soared, making it more expensive for aid agencies to feed the world's poor.

Canada, one of the biggest contributors to the World Food Program, is one of the countries Russia has accused Moscow of blocking Ukrainian ports, bombing grain silos and stealing Ukrainian wheat. is one.

Ukraine also accuses Russia of exporting stolen Ukrainian wheat, claiming it is of Russian origin, and planting mines in Ukrainian fields to prevent farmers from planting and harvesting crops. ing.

To ease the world food crisis, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal last month with Turkey and the United Nations to help export Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea.

This report by the Canadian Press was first published on August 10, 2022.

 

This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original location.

ABOUT

PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.

More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.

 

EYES ON TRAFFICKING

This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original online location.

ABOUT PBJ LEARNING

PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on awareness and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials online course is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.

More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.