Armenia

5% of girls in Armenia marry before the age of 18.

Statistical information in Armenia is very limited as many child marriages are not officially registered. Sometimes religious weddings (harsaniq) take place and are then officially registered once a girl reaches the legal age for marriage.

Child marriage predominantly occurs within the Yazidi community or in marzes (regions) where minority ethnic groups live. Within the Yazidi community, it is common for girls to marry between the ages of 13-14 and for boys between the ages of 17-20. Marriages are often arranged by parents.

Child marriage is driven by gender inequality and the belief that women and girls are somehow inferior to men and boys.

In Armenia, child marriage is also driven by:

● Ethnicity: According to UNFPA, child marriage is more common among minority ethnic groups, particularly the Yazidi, primarily due to traditional attitudes regarding the role of women in society and a lack of value placed on education. Some Yazidi girls who marry after the age of 14 are reportedly considered “late and not worthy of respect”.

● Poverty: Lack of education and economic opportunities in rural areas following the country’s independence have been found to drive child marriage in Armenia.

● Family honour: Some young couples who fall in love are pressured to marry in order to avoid scandals associated with pre-marital sex.

● Adolescent pregnancy: Traditionally, Yazidi families are large and girls are expected to marry young to have as many children as possible.

● Gender inequality: Armenia has one of the highest rates of gender-biased sex selection in the world. In 2018, 424 girls went missing. It is estimated that over the last 7 years, 4,000 girls would have been born but were not due to the societal preference for boys.

Armenia has committed to ending child, early and forced marriage by 2030 in line with target 5.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The government is due to submit a Voluntary National Review at the 2024 High Level Political Forum.

Armenia co-sponsored the following Human Rights Council resolutions: the 2013 resolution on child, early and forced marriage, the 2015 resolution to end child, early and forced marriage, recognising that it is a violation of human rights, the 2017 resolution recognising the need to address child, early and forced marriage in humanitarian contexts, the 2019 resolution on the consequences of child marriage, the 2021 resolution on child, early and forced marriage in times of crisis, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2023 resolution on ending and preventing forced marriage. In 2014, Armenia also signed a joint statement at the Human Rights Council calling for a resolution on child marriage.

Armenia co-sponsored the 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2022 UN General Assembly resolutions on child, early and forced marriage.

Armenia acceded to the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1993, which the Committee on the Rights of the Child has interpreted to recommend the establishment of a minimum age of marriage of 18. The principles of the CRC were later reinforced in 1996 when the government adopted a Law on Children’s Rights. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was ratified in 1993, which obligates states to ensure free and full consent to marriage.

During its 2022 review, the CEDAW Committee expressed concern at the high dropout rates among girls in secondary school, due to adolescent pregnancy, child marriage and gender discrimination. The Committee recommended that the government address the root causes of the school drop out rates and ensure that young mothers can return to school, and that the government revise the ‘Healthy Lifestyle” programme to include inclusive and accessible information on gender equality, gender-based violence, and age appropriate sexual and reproductive education. The Committee also noted the prevalence of child marriage, particularly among the Yazidi community, and the lack of data and prevention programmes on child marriage. The Committee recommended that the government reform data collection systems and registration procedures to support the implementation of criminal and administrative legislation on child marriage.

During its 2016 review, the CEDAW Committee expressed concerns about child marriage among Yazidi and Molokan communities, significant school dropout rates among girls from these communities and a lack of data on the correlation between this and child marriage.

During its 2015 Universal Periodic Review, Armenia agreed to examine recommendations to enforce the minimum age of marriage set out in law and to develop awareness-raising programmes on the negative impact of child marriage.

Armenia is a pathfinder country for the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children. Armenia ratified the Istanbul Convention in 2018.

The government adopted the National Plan of Action for Protection of Children’s Rights in 2005 and its main aim was to develop a state policy in order to better protect children’s rights and interests.

Since the National Plan of Action, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in Armenia have established a new National Child Protection Strategy 2017-2021. This national strategy looks to establish a functional child rights monitoring mechanism to address issues affecting children in Armenia.

Article 35 of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia enshrines the right to free choice and consent in marriage. The minimum age of marriage for girls was raised from 17 to 18 in April 2013. However, it is possible for someone between the ages of 16-17 to marry with the consent of their parents/legal guardians.

This is further reiterated in the Code of the Republic of Armenia under Article 10. However, exceptions allow individuals to bypass this provision based on cultural, ethnic, and other grounds.