Early marriages: Plan International's dramatic revelation about girls in Senegal

Climate crises not only threaten infrastructure and household livelihoods; they profoundly alter the lives of adolescent girls by directly exposing them to early and forced marriages. In Senegal, 13% of girls and young women surveyed in a global study conducted by the NGO Plan International reported being married before the age of 18 as a result of a disaster or major climate event. Globally, this proportion stands at 11%.

These figures were presented by Salimata Bocoum, Country Director of Plan International in Senegal, at the continental summit dedicated to the resilience of women and girls to climate change, conflicts and crises, held in Dakar.

Entitled "Let's Change Her Future," this scientific survey was conducted with 5,000 girls and young women aged 15 to 24 across five countries, including Senegal. It highlights the direct and devastating repercussions of environmental shocks on girls' fundamental rights and living conditions.

Early marriages and unwanted pregnancies: Social indicators on the rise

At the local level, 34% of Senegalese participants reported a marked increase in child marriages (under 18) within their community following an extreme weather event, compared to 36% globally. Furthermore, 25% of young women surveyed in Senegal reported an increase in unwanted pregnancies in their immediate environment, compared to 31% internationally.

For Salimata Bocoum, these revelations prove that the impact of climate change extends far beyond the purely ecological or economic sphere. They constitute an urgent call to systematically integrate child protection, the prevention of gender-based violence, and sexual and reproductive health into all climate crisis response strategies.