76 CHILD MARRIAGE: A DOWNWARD TREND The present mapping conducted in Beirut and Mount Lebanon confirms a trend noticed in Akkar in relation to a decline in underage marriages. Still, the majority of the underaged stateless getting married are girls. Over the last decades, there has been a notable decline in underage marriages across the different mapped regions. Respectively, the ratios of underage marriages fell from 67% to almost none in Mount Lebanon, from 50% to 13% in Greater Beirut. The same phenomenon was observed in 2021 during the mapping of Akkar. Fig. 31 Share of underage marriages among married stateless over the decades Mount Lebanon 77% WOMEN 23% MEN 72% WOMEN 28% MEN 77% WOMEN 23% MEN 67% 24% of married respondents are underage marriages (31 respondents) 20% of married respondents are underage marriages (58 respondents) 24% of married respondents are underage marriages (111 respondents) 29% 30% Respondents expressed a strong determination to break the vicious cycle of underage marriage that older generations experienced. Underage marriages disproportionately affect girls and women, imposing lasting consequences on their lives, as they are generally unable to access education and employment opportunities. 20% Greater Beirut 50% 37% 17% 19% 14% 13% Akkar 45% 1970s 37% 24% 1980s 1990s 20% 2000s 14% 2010s 2020s 70% of the recorded underage marriages are concentrated in Greater Beirut, particularly among the Dom population residing in areas with informal settlements such as Hay el Gharbi. “ I was the victim of my parents’ decision. I won’t do the same mistake to my children. — Stateless woman, Hay el Gharbi © 2023 Siren Associates. All Rights Reserved.