Mariage précoce, école ou foyer ? Le dilemme des jeunes filles en Guinée rurale
In Guinea, despite legislative progress and awareness campaigns, early marriage remains a painful reality for many young girls, especially in rural areas. Caught between the dream of going to school and the social pressure of marriage, many see their future decided without them.
According to the latest UNICEF estimates, nearly 47% of Guinean girls are married before the age of 18, and approximately 17% before the age of 15. These figures reveal an alarming situation, particularly pronounced in the regions of Upper and Middle Guinea, where tradition and poverty weigh heavily on the fate of young girls.
School, a dream often interrupted
In Kankan, 15-year-old Mariama tells her story with her eyes downcast: "I loved school, but my father said I had to marry a cousin. He explained that it was to secure my future. I cried, but no one listened to me."
Like her, thousands of young girls are forced to abandon school to join a marital home.
For families, marriage is often seen as economic security and protection against the “shame” of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy.
But according to Aïssatou Bah, an educator in an NGO in Kankan, this logic condemns girls to dependency: "When a girl leaves school too early, she loses her chance to be independent. Many then find themselves with children at 16, without income, without a voice in their household."
Between tradition, religion and poverty
The phenomenon of early marriage in Guinea is fueled by a complex mix of customs, religious beliefs, and economic hardship. In some families, a girl who is not married after the age of 15 is seen as a “burden”.
For others, it is the fear of “dishonour” that pushes them to marry quickly.
According to sociologist Abdoul Karim Diallo, based in Labé: “Early marriage is a deeply rooted social phenomenon. It is often justified by religion, but in reality, it is a matter of social control and economic survival.”
A law exists, but it is rarely enforced.
Guinean legislation is clear: the law sets the legal age of marriage at 18 for both girls and boys.
The Child Code and the Civil Code prohibit any union before this age.
But on the ground, marriages are often celebrated discreetly, sometimes with the complicity of religious or traditional leaders.
"There is a gap between the law and reality. In the villages, traditions dominate, not the courts," acknowledges a magistrate from the Conakry Juvenile Prosecutor's Office.
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