EXCERPT FROM INTRODUCTION: 

“This paper will embark on a novel study of child marriage practices in MENA – compiling regional statistics, exploring underlying socioeconomic, cultural, and religious factors that perpetuate the practice, and making recommendations for future action in the region. Part I will explore the underlying causes and effects of child marriage. The international and regional legal responses to child marriage will be examined in Part II. This section will also highlight the regulatory gaps and barriers in a select sampling of countries to enforcement that allow child marriage to persevere. Part III will present country-specific profiles of child marriage throughout the Middle East and North Africa, examining available statistics, legal treatment of early marriage, and efforts, if any, to combat the practice. Recommendations for future action on the regional and international levels will be set forth in Part IV. Finally, descriptions of a sampling of initiatives that have been undertaken globally are provided in Part V.”