US embassy cable - 05DJIBOUTI278

UNCLAS DJIBOUTI 000278 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR G/IWI (L. KHADIAGALA), AF/RSA, DRL, AND AF/E 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON, ELAB, PHUM, PGOV, SCUL, SOCI, KWMN, DJ 
SUBJECT: CHILD MARRIAGE_JIBOUTI 
 
Ref: State 36341 
 
1. (U) Summary: Underage marriage exists in Djibouti on a 
small scale. Child marriage is more prevalent among Arabs, 
Afars and people living in rural areas. However, underage 
marriage is decreasing as a result of government policies 
and assistance from the international community. End of 
summary. 
 
2. (U) Response to Part A: Officials from the Ministry of 
Justice indicated that the legal age for marriage in 
Djibouti is eighteen, which corresponds to the legal age 
for majority.  The legal age of marriage is the same for 
boys and girls.  There is no lower legal age of marriage 
with parental consent. 
 
3. (U) Response to Part B: No studies or statistics are 
available in Djibouti to assess the extent of underage 
marriage. However, the Government, civil society and NGOs 
confirmed that underage marriage exists in Djibouti but 
does not constitute a significant problem. Studies 
completed in 2004 by the Ministry of Health and the Office 
of Statistics, in collaboration with the Arab Program on 
Family Health, show that the average age of marriage in 
Djibouti is high; 30.7 years of age for males and 28 years 
of age for females.  Officials from the Ministry of the 
Promotion of Women indicated that underage marriage is more 
prevalent in certain groups. For instance, some Arab girls 
in Djibouti get married as young as age 13 in arranged 
marriages with older men. The true age of the girl is not 
always revealed to government officials conducting the 
marriage ceremony. Men from Afar tribes of the Southern 
region of Djibouti are known for marrying underage girls. 
Underage marriage is in general more common in rural areas 
than in cities. Other instances of underage marriage take 
place in cases of pregnancy of a minor after a rape or 
sexual intercourse with mutual consent. The male, also a 
minor in most cases, is forced by tribal leaders to marry 
the girl to save her honor. Underage marriage affects the 
child who is not prepared or mature enough to face life's 
difficulties. It also results in violence when a young girl 
gets married to an older man who does not hesitate to beat 
the child. 
 
4. (U) Response to Part C: The Ministry of Education, 
assisted by the United States Agency for International 
Development (USAID) and other international organizations, 
is currently implementing a project aimed at increasing the 
enrollment of girls in school and keeping those already 
enrolled in school. Underage girls enrolled in school are 
unlikely to be forced into marriage by their parents. Also, 
the Embassy's Democracy and Human Rights Fund (DHRF) 
occasionally funds projects on children's rights or women's 
rights. The Embassy is currently funding a project on 
preventing violence against women throughout the country. 
Finally, the Ministry for the Promotion of Women and 
women's associations all over the country have become more 
confident in voicing their concerns about women's and 
girls' rights, including the right of a woman to decide 
when and who to marry. 
 
5. (SBU) Comment: The current government of Djibouti is 
committed to improving its women's rights record. Women, by 
law, are allocated 10 percent of the seats in the National 
Assembly. Women currently constitute 45 percent of 
registered voters in Djibouti. End Comment. 
RAGSDALE