Addressing Teen Pregnancy and Early Marriage in The Gambia

In The Gambia, early marriage has declined significantly over the last two decades but still remains a common practice. The reasons for this decline include the introduction of the law banning child marriage in 2016 and the increasing enrolment of girls in school. To further contribute to this decline, a five-year project titled ‘Addressing Teen Pregnancy and Early Marriage in The Gambia’ was implemented by the Society for the Study of Women’s Health, in partnership with the Agency for Development of Women and Children. This report describes the research problem, objectives, methodology, activities, outputs, and outcomes from the project.

The overall aim of this project is to determine the factors that either led to a decline in or are perpetuating early marriage in The Gambia. This information was used to design and implement a relevant package of interventions to reduce the prevalence of early marriage in rural communities in two districts in The Gambia.

The persistently high rates of marriage below the age of 18 years are a global health concern. Early marriage, also called child marriage or even girl child marriage, disproportionately affects girls and is considered to be a human rights violation by various treaties and conventions. Not only does it curtail girls' opportunities for development, it increases their risks for maternal morbidities and mortalities, and it is also linked to infant morbidities and mortalities as well. Early marriage affects adolescent girls worldwide, but evidence shows that it is more widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in poor and rural settings. This study aims to assess the individual-level factors of adolescent girls and their parents that are associated with child marriage in rural parts of The Gambia. The specific objective is to determine the socio-demographic characteristics of adolescent girls as well as the factors associated with parents’ decisions to marry off their daughters before they reach 18 years.

The persistent high rate of child marriage is a global concern. Although the practice is believed to have declined in The Gambia, the country has been ranked among top 41 countries worldwide where the prevalence of child marriage is 30% or more. Aside from violating human rights, child marriage negatively impacts the educational attainment of girls. When girls marry early, they cease formal schooling because of domestic and marital demands within the home. Although studies have been conducted to explore early marriage in The Gambia, none have attempted to carefully measure the impact of child marriage on girls’ education. This study aimed to measure the effect of child marriage on girls’ education and assess associated risk factors in Lower Badibu District of the Gambia.

Over the last two decades, early marriage in the Gambia declined significantly (from 58% to 30%), however this rate is still high. The reasons for the decline but continuing practice of early marriage, despite existing legislation prohibiting child marriage, are not very well understood. This study was conducted in 24 rural settlements in Lower Baddibu District in the North Bank Region of the Gambia. It was based on a mixed-methods design including a cross-sectional household survey with a sample of 181 female adolescents, focus group discussions with 16 male and female parents, and eight key informant interviews with community-based decision makers. The study finds that ethnicity and the fear that girls may engage in premarital sex are two important factors associated with early marriage in rural Gambia. In addition, lack of meaningful alternatives to marriage including work opportunities in rural areas may also limit the options and resources available to girls, resulting in early wedlock. These findings suggest that in order to decrease early marriages in rural Gambia, future efforts should focus on understanding and addressing the role of ethnicity in determining marriage patterns and allaying the fear around premarital sex. The findings also suggest a need to provide girls with employment-oriented education including vocational skills which may result into more empowerment and a delay in marriage.