A report by Equality Now, Breaking Barriers: Addressing Child, Early, and Forced Marriage (CEFM) in Eurasia, examines the prevalence and causes of CEFM in seven Eurasian countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. While Turkmenistan is not included, the report offers regional insights relevant to understanding early marriage in the country.
Key Drivers of Early and Forced Child Marriage
- Legal Protection Gaps: Minimum age of marriage laws often have exceptions while forced marriage is not always explicitly criminalized.
- Enforcement and Implementation: Weak enforcement of existing laws, especially in rural areas. Cultural norms often outweigh legal mandates. Under-identification and underreporting of CEFM cases due to stigma and lack of trust in authorities.
- Traditional, religious, gender norms and practices: Deeply entrenched patriarchal norms, emphasis on family honor, preservation of female virginity, and societal pressure on girls to marry early. Religious ceremonies can sometimes be used to conduct marriages outside of legal frameworks.
- Gender-based violence against girls: Fear of kidnapping may prompt early marriage for “protection”. Additionally, girls from violent homes may see early marriage as an escape, but often face continued violence.
- Economic factors: Poverty and economic hardship drive families to marry off daughters as a means of financial relief or to gain economic benefits like bride-dowries.
- Lack of education: Limited access to quality education leaves girls ill-equipped to challenge societal expectations and norms, making early marriage more likely.
- Abduction for forced marriage: In some countries, the practice of “bride kidnapping” contributes significantly to forced marriages.
Key Statistics on Child Marriage in Turkmenistan
While under article 15 of the Family Code the minimum age of marriage in Turkmenistan is 18, in exceptional cases the guardians may, at the request of persons wishing to marry, lower the age of marriage by one year. However, it is unclear what are these circumstances and how does the government guarantee that parents or children do not overuse this. As a result, child marriage remains a serious concern in Turkmenistan. MICS 2019 results show that 6% of girls marry before 18, with one in three marrying partners at least 5–9 years older.
The 2022 Census data also highlights that 6.13% of girls (15-19 years) are either in a registered marriage, unregistered relationship, widowed, divorced or separated. For men this number is much smaller – 2.23%. The prevalence is higher in rural areas (7.06%) than in urban areas (5.05%). Meanwhile, there are also regional disparities. Ahal velayat has the highest share of married girls (8.62%) and boys (3.17%) while Balkan velayat has the lowest rates (girls 3.81%, boys 1.38%). The adolescent pregnancy rate is 22 per 1,000 girls (15–19 years), slightly higher in rural areas (24) than in urban areas (20).
As the report concludes, early and forced child marriage persists due to gender inequality, cultural and economic pressures, and weak legal enforcement. Without stronger laws, improved education, economic support for families, and better data collection, early and forced marriage will continue to limit opportunities for girls in Turkmenistan and across the region.
