EXCERPT FROM EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

“This report presents the findings of a quantitative and qualitative examination of the phenomenon of  early marriage in Jordan. The period covered by the statistical analysis is 2005- 2012, and also includes findings from a limited range of data available in relation to 2013 and the first quarter of 2014. Annual reports of the Department of the Chief Justice (Qadi Al Qudah) provide an overview for the years 2005-2011, while more comprehensive data available from 2011, 2012 and 2013 allowed the construction of a more complete snapshot of early marriage practices among Jordanians, as well as Palestinians and Syrians currently living in Jordan. Interviews (surveys and semi-structured interviews) and focus group discussions were conducted in June, July and October of 2013 in five governorates to elicit the views of: mothers, fathers, women who had married early, NGO and government service providers, judges, sheikhs and imams as well as community leaders. Although the statistical analysis – particularly in relation to the disaggregated data – is limited to a relatively short time frame, this study provides invaluable insight into attitudes to child marriage and establishes a crucial baseline against which efforts to eliminate the practice can be measured at a later date. It is important to note that the shari‘a court data upon which much of this analysis is based reflects only those marriages contracted under Islamic law, and that unregistered marriages and marriages of people of other religions are therefore not represented in these statistics.”