War in Syria has killed more than 10,000 children. More than 1 million more have fled the country in fear, while millions more remain displaced inside the country. This briefing looks at another disturbing but less publicised impact of the crisis: the increase in the numbers of girls who have been forced to marry. Child marriage existed in Syria before the crisis – 13% of girls under 18 in Syria were married in 2011.5 But now, three years into the conflict, official statistics show that among Syrian refugee communities in Jordan – who we focus on in this briefing given the lack of statistics inside Syria itself – child marriage has increased alarmingly, and in some cases has doubled.
