Exploring Disability as a Determinant of Girl Child Marriage in Fragile States: A Multicountry Analysis

Fragile states are countries characterized by poverty, conflict, political instability, insecurity, and disaster. In such settings, there are high levels of disability and women and girls are disproportionately impacted by violence. Despite the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal's call for both the elimination of violence against women and girls and disability-disaggregated data, few studies have investigated how disability may be associated with girl child marriage (GCM) and how these two factors impact intimate partner violence (IPV). This study sought to assess the prevalence and associations of disability with GCM and IPV among currently married/cohabiting women (aged 20-24 years) in fragile states.

A secondary data analysis of pooled nationally representative data from four Demographic and Health Surveys were analyzed using multivariable regressions to examine the associations between disability, GCM, and IPV (N = 3,119). The association between disability and GCM was further analyzed by multinomial regressions. These weighted analyses accounted for complex survey designs.

Overall, 54.4% of GCM occurred among women with disabilities. Disabled women were more likely to report GCM compared to women without disabilities (adjusted odds ratio = 1.62, 95% confidence interval = 1.16-2.28). Among disabled women with a history of GCM, 41.3% experienced past-year IPV. Disabled women with a history of GCM were more likely to report past-year IPV compared to nondisabled women and no GCM (adjusted odds ratio = 1.78, confidence interval = 1.21-2.62).

GCM and IPV (e.g., past-year, lifetime) among disabled girls may be pervasive in fragile states, underscoring the need for additional research examining the mechanisms driving these observations and to inform inclusive programming and policy.