Climate Change Linked to Rise in Child Marriage, French Newspaper Reports

A French newspaper has reported that climate change is increasingly contributing to child marriages in developing countries, with cases involving girls as young as 12. The report from Le Parisien highlights research suggesting that natural disasters, exacerbated by climate change, are pushing impoverished families to marry off their daughters at younger ages.

The newspaper's report, titled "She was only 12: Climate change, a new accelerator of child marriage," specifically linked weather-related disasters to early marriages in countries such as Bangladesh and Kenya. According to the report, climate disasters destroy incomes and homes, leading some families to marry off their daughters to alleviate financial burdens.

Le Parisien based much of its reporting on a 2026 study by Plan International, an organization that researches the connection between climate-related disasters and child marriage. The study surveyed 5,000 girls and young women across Bangladesh, Kenya, Peru, Senegal, and Zimbabwe. Plan International's findings indicated that 36% of respondents observed an increase in child marriage following climate-related disasters, and 11% reported personally experiencing child marriage.

The report featured the case of a 12-year-old girl in Bangladesh who was reportedly married four days after seeking refuge in a cyclone shelter. A teenage friend told the newspaper that the girl later gave birth to a child who died, and she suffered severe health complications.

Another account detailed the situation of Runa, a 15-year-old Bangladeshi girl whose widowed mother arranged her marriage after a cyclone destroyed the family's livestock and income. Runa expressed sadness and helplessness at having to abandon her education for marriage, though she was later allowed to return to her studies with the help of aid organizations. Now 17 and a mother, Runa stated that resuming her education provided her with hope for the future.

Child marriage has been a long-standing issue in Bangladesh. According to a 2025 UNICEF survey, 47.2% of women aged 20 to 24 were married before turning 18, a decrease from 51.4% in 2019. UNICEF identifies poverty, gender norms, traditional practices, lack of education, and climate-related disasters as contributing factors to child marriage.

While Bangladesh's Child Marriage Restraint Act of 2017 sets the minimum age for marriage at 18 for girls, the law includes exceptions for underage marriages with parental consent and court approval under special circumstances.

Plan International has stated that climate-related disasters place additional financial pressures on families, especially those reliant on agriculture and livestock. A representative from Plan International previously explained that financial stress is a primary trigger for child marriages, as some families may view daughters as less of a long-term financial asset.

Moms for Liberty CEO and co-founder Tina Descovich criticized the report's findings, calling the link between climate change and child marriage an "absurd excuse" that deflects responsibility from those who exploit children. She argued that attributing child marriage to environmental factors shifts blame away from individuals and ideologies that facilitate the practice.

Plan International and Le Parisien did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.

The research highlights a correlation between weather-related disasters and child marriage, though the survey data itself does not conclusively prove that human-caused climate change directly caused each instance of child marriage reported.