Early marriages in Armenia

Despite some impediments provided by law, the phenomenon of early marriages exists in Armenia. So much so that a new bill intends to set the minimum age for marriage at 18, without exception, and to repeal all the rules referring to early marriages and underage spouses

Gayane, 17, lives in a rural area of Armenia. She has been a housewife for two years. This year, while her classmates were preparing for graduation, Gayan was preparing to give birth to her first child.

“My child will be born in four months. By then I will come of age, so we will be able to legally register our marriage, and there will be no problem in the hospital. Our marriage has not yet been officially registered. My husband and I were so deeply in love that we decided not to wait until I finished school to get married”, says Gayane, adding that she had difficulty attending classes in her senior year due to her pregnancy.

Gayane's parents were shocked when they learned that their 17-year-old daughter was getting married. In their family – explains Gayane – it is not customary for girls to get married before reaching adulthood. However, she broke family tradition by getting married in a nearby village, thus giving up on the goal of pursuing higher education in order yto be a housewife.

“Especially my father took the news badly, but in the end they agreed. To be honest, sometimes I think I made a mistake. Sometimes I feel jealous watching my classmates walking around the city, wearing nice clothes, discusing various girly topics, preparing to go to university, and I have to cook, do laundry, etc. Then I cheer up thinking t hat becoming a mother at a young age is easier, I don't know... This was my destiny”, says Gayane.

The girl then explains that she will not be the only young mother in the village because there is a friend of hers who got married at the age of sixteen.

“It is even better that I am not the only one”, says Gayane laughing. Then she specifies that the other girl belongs to the Yazidi community. Unlike Gayane’s parents, it was that Yazidi girl’s family that pushed her to get married.

According to current legislation in Armenia, the minimum legal age for marriage is set at 18 years. However, you can also get married at the age of 17 with the consent of your parents, biological or adoptive, or guardianship authorities. People can also get married at the age of 16, but on the condition that there is the consent of parents, adoptive parents or guardians, as well as if the other person entering into the marriage is over 18 years old.

Despite the law, there are still young people, like Gayane, who circumvent the current rules and create a family, albeit unofficially.

According to data released by the Statistical Institute of the Republic of Armenia, in 2011, 3,372 births of girls between the ages of 14 and 19 were registered, while in 2021 the number dropped to 1,042. In 2011, 1747 early marriages of girls aged 16-19 were registered, and in 2021, this number decreased to 675.

Even though it is decreasing, the phenomenon of early marriage has become the subject of discussion by the Armenian authorities.

A bill was recently presented to the Yerevan parliament to set the minimum age for marriage at 18, without exception, and to repeal all the rules referring to early marriages and underage spouses.

"As a parliamentary representative of the Yazidi community, I receive many worrying messages, in particular regarding early marriages in the Yazidi community. I must say that this is a very widespread problem. There are also cases of early marriages among Armenians”, explained MP Rustam, Bakoyan, author of the initiative.

According to data from the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, early marriages primarily affect the child's exclusion from compulsory education.

“As of the academic year of 2023-2024, 1319 Yazidi girls are studying in public schools. During 2023, 171 schoolchildren left the education system. The tendency of Yazidi children to be excluded from education is significant, especially in high schools”, stated the Deputy Minister.

“I heard that they want to pass a law so that people like me cannot get married at the age of 17”, says Gayane, “but the law is not enough, mindset needs to be shifted. Even if I and Armenians like me don't get married, Yazidis will still do so, it is their custom ti marry young”.

Rustam Bakoyan notes that to achieve the desired result, in addition to legislative changes, other tools and awareness-raising activities are also needed. Discussions on the topic are still ongoing, and the initiators plan to implement the reform by the end of the year.