Child marriage risks in the context of COVID-19 in Ethiopia

To explore the short-term effects of the pandemic and resulting policy response on adolescents’ risks of child marriage, this policy brief draws on rapid virtual qualitative research from the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) longitudinal research sample in the Afar, Amhara and Oromia regions of Ethiopia. A total of 138 adolescent girls and boys aged 13-19 years were interviewed by phone using a semi-structured format in May and June 2020. These were complemented by 31 key informant interviews with officials from the bureaus of health, education and women, children and youth affairs, emergency and food security, and kebele officials in each locality. Our findings highlight that adolescent girls in rural areas and some adolescent boys were and continue to be at heightened risk of child marriage even in the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.