Contextualization and Responses to Global Norms on Child Marriage: A Case Study of Quarit Wereda, Amhara Regional State of Ethiopia
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Date
2024-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Child marriage persists as a deeply ingrained and harmful gender-based practice, defying
legal reforms aligned with international human rights instruments. This dissertation
investigates how the globally defined child marriage norms are interpreted, framed, and
implemented. It primarily focuses on the minimum marriage age of 18 and the (free, full, and
informed) legal consent notions. Additionally, it seeks to comprehend how local communities
perceive and react to the adoption and implementation of these norms. It focuses on two
Kebeles in Quarit, one of the child marriage' hot spot' Wereda in Amhara Regional State.
Since it is a socio-legal research, the dissertation adopts a doctrinal and non-doctrinal
qualitative case study research design, gathering primary data through in-depth interviews,
KIIs, and group discussions, triangulated with relevant secondary data. Findings uncover
diverse socio-cultural factors (i.e., the semiotic system) and misconceptions about girls'
sexuality and mythical significations that underpin child marriage. It explains why parents
are the decision-makers when selecting spouses and determining their daughter's
marriageable age, far below the legal age of 18.With the collaboration of the local
government and IGOs, child marriage laws are framed and implemented using diverse
strategies and tactics. It further digs into the local meanings used to justify the law through
the lens of vernacularization theory. The dissertation documents various challenges local
authorities face when translating the law into the local context, including raising awareness,
estimating girls' ages, and verifying consent. Further, it analyzes institutional actors' roles,
power dynamics, and effectiveness in combating child marriage. It uncovers gaps that
ultimately shifted the collaborative efforts established by the National Roadmap to end the
practice. The dissertation emphasizes the need for the local government and CBOs to
proactively lead the efforts with a view to achieve effective long-term change in combatting
the practice. The intervention strategies for curbing child marriages among girls, in the
study areas, typically follow a 'top-down' approach, focused on eliminating the practice
rather than addressing its driving factors. As a result, this dissertation uncovered diverse
kinds of individual and collective resistance, which caused the practice to remain hidden.
The findings further reveal that middle/late adolescent girls can either consent to the
arranged marriage or resist it. Some girls value education over marriage, while others do
the opposite. However, some girls conform to the prevailing norm of becoming child brides.
This dissertation argues that girls who actively resist and those who justify and accept child
marriage as a viable option demonstrate agency. They have exercised active and passive
agency, respectively. It emphasizes that the resistance of adolescent girls is associated with
their age, access to education, and academic performance. In this regard, the practical
implications of this dissertation for combating child marriage among girls in the targeted
areas are significant. It portrays adolescent girls' agency as pivotal in combating child
marriage, stressing the efficacy of strengthening their agency instead of exclusively enforcing
a minimum marriage age of 18 in the targeted areas.
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Keywords
Child marriage, vernacularization, marriageable age, girlsā agency, resistance, semiotics