Turkmenistan

6% of girls in Turkmenistan marry before the age of 18.

Child marriage is most prevalent in Lebap Velayat (11.8%) and Balkan Velayat (7.4%), and lowest in Dashoguz Velayat (3.8%) and Ashgabat City (2.7%)

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

In Turkmenistan, child marriage is also driven by:

● Poverty: Girls living in Turkmenistan’s poorest households are more likely to marry before the age of 18 than those living in the richest households. For girls between the ages of 20-24, 11.1% of girls from the poorest households were married before the age of 18, in comparison to 3.5% of girls from the wealthiest households.

● Level of education: Some families are reluctant to educate their daughters beyond secondary school because they fear that this will make them "undesirable" in the marriage market. For girls between the ages of 20-24, 7.4% of girls who were married before the age of 18 have primary or secondary education, in comparison to 3.4% who have completed secondary vocational education.

● Power dynamics: Among currently married women aged 20-24, 15.2% are married to a man who is older by up to nine years. Young girls often have little agency or say in decisions regarding marriage.

● Harmful practices: Studies show that arranged marriages are a deeply rooted tradition in rural Turkmenistan. Reports suggest that the old custom of paying for a bride – known as kalyn – has seen a significant revival, and that “good prices” are available for girl brides.

● Gender norms: Strong patriarchal attitudes regarding the role of women and girls persist in Turkmenistan. They continue to be seen as wives, mothers and caregivers, which limits their access to education and employment opportunities and reduces their influence over decisions related to marriage.

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

The government submitted a Voluntary National Review at the 2023 High Level Political Forum. In this review, the government noted that there has been an increase in child marriage cases and that actions are being taken by the government to prevent child marriage. However, the government did not mention any specific national action plans or strategies.

Turkmenistan co-sponsored the 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022 UN General Assembly resolutions on child, early and forced marriage.

Turkmenistan 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, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1997, which obligates states to ensure free and full consent to marriage.

In 2018, the CEDAW Committee expressed concerns about the prevalence of child and forced marriage, despite the prohibition of marriage under the age of 18 years. The Committee recommended Turkmenistan to prevent and eliminate the practice of child and forced marriage and related harmful practices by raising awareness, carrying out effective investigations of reported cases, and providing victims with appropriate remedies and rehabilitation services.

The government has worked with UN agencies to implement its first ever National Action Plan on Gender Equality (2015-2020) to combat gender-based violence and meet its human rights obligations related to gender equality. While the National Action Plan is expected to be in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, it is not yet clear if it specifically tackles child marriage.

The minimum legal age for marriage is 18 years, according to the new Family Code of Turkmenistan which came into force in 2012.

However, individuals may still marry at 17 years in exceptional cases with consent of their parents or guardians.