Teenage marriage and pregnancy

The majority of women in Sri Lanka have it better than most of their neighbours in terms of basic social economic indicators. Girls enjoy parity of education right up to university education and have significant access to healthcare and employment opportunities. However, the fact that over 20,000 teenage girls are married and often have children before they reach 18 years of age is a significant problem that policymakers have to address. 

To mark International Day of the Girl Child 2016, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) presented a unique joint letter, signed by over 50 UN agencies, non-governmental organisations, leading medical practitioners, academics and partners, highlighting the issues of child marriage and teenage pregnancy in Sri Lanka, and calling on the Government to continue its actions to address this vital issue. 

The letter highlighted that while Sri Lanka has made substantial progress, some Sri Lankan girls are still being deprived of a carefree childhood and the opportunity to realise their full potential as a result of child marriage and teenage pregnancy. 

According to UNICEF’s Child Marriage Baseline Estimate 2015, there are over 20,780 girls aged between 12 and 17 in Sri Lanka who are married or in cohabiting relationships before they reach adulthood. Also, according to the Family Health Bureau, 5.3% of all registered pregnancies are teenage pregnancies. In Sri Lanka, current socio-cultural practices and legal, economic and social security-related factors are the leading causes of child marriage and teenage pregnancies.

Attending the joint letter presentation, Paula Bulancea, UNICEF Representative in Sri Lanka, has pointed out that child marriage not only violates the human rights of girls, it has a real negative effect on their futures, impacting their education, their health and the economic and social prospects of themselves, their children and their communities. 

In the week of International Day of the Girl Child, these organisations are acknowledging the real progress Sri Lanka has made, but also asking the Government to continue this strong work for the benefit of all Sri Lankan girls.

Activists believe that with continued action by the Government, and with the support of the United Nations, their partners and civil society here in Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka can achieve a key objective of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is to ‘eliminate all harmful practices such as child, early and forced marriage’, and ultimately a Sri Lanka where all girls can have a childhood free from discrimination and violence, and a future of opportunity and choice.

Over 50 signatories to the letter offered support to the Government of Sri Lanka in prioritising three actions. They have called for the national legal framework be fully brought in line with the requirements of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) regarding the age of marriage, and that these laws are fully enforced to ensure the rights of girls across the nation. 

Policymakers have also been called on to address the root causes of child marriage and teenage pregnancy, and for alternative social, economic and civic opportunities for girls and their families to be created. Lastly, the strengthening of support services, and the enhancement of advocacy to ensure increased awareness among girls, their families and communities on the effects of child marriage and teenage pregnancy on sexual and reproductive health.