Hello #SSOT, my name is @RiakViola1984 and I will be curating this week on child marriage. My focus for the next four days will be on background, causes, consequences ,effects, key strategies, recommendations and interventions. Today I will focus on background and overview.

Child marriage is defined as the marriage of a child (girl and boy) under 18 years old and it disproportionally affects girls; globally, more than 700 million women alive today were married before their 18th birthday.

South Sudan is among the 40 countries with the world’s highest prevalence rates of child marriage. According to the 2010 Household Survey, 45% of married women were married before age 18.

Research conducted by Oxfam in 2018 revealed that the rate of child marriage in Nyal in Panyijiar counties is extremely high with, an estimate of 71% of girls who are married before the age of 18, a significantly higher rate than the national pre-conflict average of 45%.

According to OXFAM research, 10% of girls and women in Nyal were married before the age of 15. Findings also revealed child marriage in South Sudan take place in a context in which women and girls face threats to their rights and well-being throughout their lives.