Child marriage rising among refugees and host communities in South Sudan

UPPER NILE STATE, South Sudan - "I was married and had my first child at 14 years old," said Betty*, who fled conflict in Sudan only to find further uncertainty in South Sudan.

Along with more than half a million refugees and returnees from neighbouring Sudan, Betty is currently seeking safe haven in a village in Renk County, in Upper Nile State. The area has witnessed some of the fiercest fighting in South Sudan's current crisis, and many of those seeking shelter are adolescent girls.

Betty is just one of many child brides caught up in this crisis. Approximately 210,900 girls in the country are married before 15 years old.

Child marriage is common in crisis settings, often seen as a coping mechanism for families that are struggling financially; some consider marrying a stranger to be safer for their daughters than facing the sexual violence and coercion that are all too pervasive in displacement, conflict and other crisis settings.

The circumstances leading to Betty's marriage were "beyond description", she told UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, which is the UN's sexual and reproductive health agency. She was reluctant to share more information, but noted, "I'm a single mother now."

Marriage, motherhood too soon

National trends actually show encouraging signs of decline in child marriage, the result of ongoing advocacy. Data from 2023 estimated more than half of girls in South Sudan were married before turning 18; the most recent data, from 2026, finds that this has fallen to roughly four in ten girls. But the crisis in border areas like Renk threatens to undo this progress, driving localized spikes among displaced populations.

Driven by extreme poverty and traditional dowry systems that promise a daughter's marriage in exchange for cattle or money, child marriage rates have increased in recent years due to the conflict and insecurity.

Marriage tends to be quickly followed by motherhood: According to the most recent data, 28 per cent of young women have their first child before age 18.

Vicky, a midwife at the UNFPA-supported Shemedi mobile health clinic, said, "We receive many pregnant teenagers in our facility who come for antenatal services. Girls as young as 13 are married off by their parents to old men in exchange for the dowry."

Child marriage is a form of gender-based violence that all too often robs girls of their potential and futures. And with limited access to sexual and reproductive health and protection support, girls like Betty face life-threatening risks when they become pregnant. Often their bodies are not ready and they lack any access to healthcare.

"Girls as young as 13 are married off by their parents to old men"

A social worker speaks to Sudanese refugees at the Renk Transit Centre in 2023. Needs for social workers and other supportive personnel are rising in South Sudan, including at this transit centre, in 2026. © UNFPA South Sudan/Levi Edward Lubari

Women and girls bearing the brunt of the crisis

And for the country's women and girls, child marriage is just one threat among many.

Almost 2 million South Sudanese people are displaced within the country. Over 100 women and girls are displaced every hour, according to the UN. Displacement and conflict exacerbate the risk of gender-based violence; an estimated 2.8 million women and girls in the country require support to prevent and address this kind of violence.

Some women and girls also face heightened malnutrition risks. Projections indicate 440,000 women and girls are pregnant women and about 600,000 more are breastfeeding - conditions that place over a million of them at risk of malnutrition in an environment already marked by acute, widespread hunger. The situation is especially dire in Jonglei, Upper Nile and Unity states.

Manyuon, a 24-year-old mother of four, waits with other displaced women at the UNFPA-supported Pagook Primary Health Care Unit in Jonglei. © UNFPA South Sudan/Levi Edward Lubari

Safe spaces offer a solution

UNFPA has been working with partners, and with the support from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), to operate safe spaces for women and girls at transit sites. These spaces offer a variety of services to address the multiple heightened risks that women and girls face.

Sexual and reproductive health services, including antenatal care are provided. The spaces also offer dignity kits containing basic hygiene supplies. Trained social workers provide case management for gender-based violence. Professionals and community volunteers also offer awareness sessions on gender-based violence: what it is and how to get help. And to address the root causes of child marriage, the spaces also provide economic support - an alternative to being married off for financial gain.

"Women and girls have found these safe spaces as their sanctuaries," Midwife Vicky explained. "They receive dignity kits, cash for economic empowerment opportunities, free access to clinical management of rape, antenatal services, treatment of sexually transmitted infections and referrals for further support."

Betty received case management and counselling at one of these safe spaces, helping her begin to heal from the trauma of her early marriage and current displacement.

Now, she says she has a new way of looking at her past - and her future. "I'm happy that I was supported," Betty said. "I have learned from this bitter experience and will marry when I'm ready."

*Name changed for privacy and protection