Donyaye Eghtesad Identifies 'Poverty' as a Factor in Increasing 'Child Marriage'

A Tehran-based newspaper reported that economic challenges such as high inflation and income inequality are primary factors contributing to child marriage in the country, claiming that 'economic sanctions and the shrinking middle class have also exacerbated this phenomenon.' The newspaper 'Donyaye Eghtesad' published the results of a study on 'child marriage' on Tuesday, August 23, stating: 'In Iran, factors such as low per capita income, high inflation, and income inequality are among the main reasons for early marriage of children.' Donyaye Eghtesad asserted that contrary to popular belief, the 'prevailing religious perspective in the country' has had a 'significant' impact on early child marriage, and that factors such as economic sanctions and the shrinking middle class in Iran play a larger role in child marriage. The newspaper noted that 'studies' show that in Iran, early marriage is more related to the marriage of girls before reaching puberty. The report indicated that there are many obstacles in Iran regarding the prevention of early marriage of children. For example, the government in Iran opposes the establishment of strict laws in this area due to concerns about a decrease in birth rates. According to the latest official statistics published in Iran by the government agency, the Statistical Center, at least 27,448 cases of marriage involving girls under 15 years old occurred in various parts of Iran from the winter of 1400 to the end of the fall of 1401. Academic research shows that early marriage is a significant factor in the occurrence of domestic violence and school dropout among girls, and from the perspective of marital relations, it is one of the forms of sexual abuse of children. Previous reports indicate that some cases of child marriage have occurred due to poverty and the receipt of marriage loans. Additionally, according to a 1400 report by the Ministry of Welfare of the Islamic Republic, one in three Iranians lives below the poverty line and is unable to meet their expenses, leading some families to prefer to reduce the number of dependents by forcing children who do not yet understand sexual matters into sexual relations without consent and awareness. The promotion of 'childbearing' at the behest of Ali Khamenei and the provision of banking facilities for marriage and childbearing in recent years have led some families in parts of Iran to force their children under 18 to marry due to poverty and to benefit from these facilities. Calls for the Islamic Republic to change laws to prevent child marriage and criminalize domestic violence have long been part of the demands of the United Nations and its monitoring mechanisms, but in practice, the Islamic Republic has not only failed to take structural action in response to this request but has also manipulated statistical classifications to distort official statistics related to the age of marriage and the age of mothers. Meanwhile, official reports only include marriages that have been 'officially registered,' while the ISNA news agency reported two years ago, citing experts, that most child marriages are unregistered and there is no accurate data on them. More than 200,000 students have dropped out of school this year. Hengaw: Last year, at least 22 women were executed in Iran, and 325 women activists were arrested. Approximately 26,000 girls under 15 years old were married in the past year. Registration of 27,000 marriages of girls under 15 years old in the past year. The impact of inflationary pressures on the lives of Iranians; Parliament seeks to increase marriage loans to '200 million.' The Deputy Minister of Education in Qazvin: The marriage of '9 and 10-year-old students' has become problematic. The Civil Registration Organization of Iran: Last year, about 1,500 infants were born to mothers under 14 years old.