Key findings The study found that activists and development professionals are not familiar or aware of marriage among children with disabilities. Conversely they assert that in addition to a lack of evidence, there is an existing stigma shaped by social beliefs about marriage and disability, whereby people with disabilities in general are less likely to be married – a notion that transcends to children, hence making is less likely for children with disability to be married. Contrary to the above narratives, the study found that marriage among children with disabilities is an existing practice. Children with disabilities are also likely to be proposed for marriage, often without concerted efforts by the parents, around the same age as other children, in regions and communities where child marriage is a socially accepted and common phenomenon. The «disability» of the child is not necessarily part of the preconditions or enabling factors in prospect for marriage. The same preconditions for child marriage in general also work as the preconditions for marriage among children with disabilities. While the driving causes of child marriage are similar for children with and without disabilities (e.g. poverty, social norms, gender relations), disability does seem to influence the parent’s or caregivers decisions of marriage. Disability adds an additional layer of vulnerabilities to the practice of child marriage. The structural factors that enable discrimination and exclusion from social protection and services create the conditions for marriage of children with disabilities in highly compromised and vulnerable situations. Disability further enhances a girl's likelihood of being forced into marriage, as well as the severity of the impact on her life once married along with other factors including gender, caste, ethnicity and poverty. Marriage is seen as a way for girls with disability to get long-term social security and protection from potential sexual violence. In the absence of support mechanisms and alternatives, marriage is seen as a solution to existing problems, an «opportunity» to get away from a difficult to a slightly better situation. This sense of deprivation and desperation to secure the child’s future is likely to push parents to accept marriage proposals with urgency, sooner than later. Children with disabilities have limited agency in the overall process of arranged marriages. The agency is even less for girls. Parents are the main decision-makers, but heavily influenced by community perceptions of eligibility and conventions of marriage. Even in cases of self–initiated marriage, it is not entirely by choice. The vulnerabilities faced as a result of social, economic and cultural context which were compounded due to the disability, pushes the individual into child marriage.
Key findings The study found that activists and development professionals are not familiar or aware of marriage among children with disabilities. Conversely they assert that in addition to a lack of evidence, there is an existing stigma shaped by social beliefs about marriage and disability, whereby people with disabilities in general are less likely to be married – a notion that transcends to children, hence making is less likely for children with disability to be married. Contrary to the above narratives, the study found that marriage among children with disabilities is an existing practice. Children with disabilities are also likely to be proposed for marriage, often without concerted efforts by the parents, around the same age as other children, in regions and communities where child marriage is a socially accepted and common phenomenon. The «disability» of the child is not necessarily part of the preconditions or enabling factors in prospect for marriage. The same preconditions for child marriage in general also work as the preconditions for marriage among children with disabilities. While the driving causes of child marriage are similar for children with and without disabilities (e.g. poverty, social norms, gender relations), disability does seem to influence the parent’s or caregivers decisions of marriage. Disability adds an additional layer of vulnerabilities to the practice of child marriage. The structural factors that enable discrimination and exclusion from social protection and services create the conditions for marriage of children with disabilities in highly compromised and vulnerable situations. Disability further enhances a girl's likelihood of being forced into marriage, as well as the severity of the impact on her life once married along with other factors including gender, caste, ethnicity and poverty. Marriage is seen as a way for girls with disability to get long-term social security and protection from potential sexual violence. In the absence of support mechanisms and alternatives, marriage is seen as a solution to existing problems, an «opportunity» to get away from a difficult to a slightly better situation. This sense of deprivation and desperation to secure the child’s future is likely to push parents to accept marriage proposals with urgency, sooner than later. Children with disabilities have limited agency in the overall process of arranged marriages. The agency is even less for girls. Parents are the main decision-makers, but heavily influenced by community perceptions of eligibility and conventions of marriage. Even in cases of self–initiated marriage, it is not entirely by choice. The vulnerabilities faced as a result of social, economic and cultural context which were compounded due to the disability, pushes the individual into child marriage.