Dynamics and Determinants of the Practice of Child Marriage and Profile of Victims in Burkina Faso: Case of Girls

Mahamoudou Kabore, Institut National de La Statistique et de La Démographie (INSD)
Hamado Tondé, INSD Burkina
Toubou RIPAMA, Institut National de la Statistique et de la Démographie

In Burkina Faso, marriage according to the Personal and Family Code can only be celebrated among young girls when they are at least 18 years old. However, cases of celebration of unions, especially religious and customary, are observed among girls under 18 years old. What is the current extent of the phenomenon, what are its dynamics and what are the factors associated with the marriage of girls under 18 in Burkina Faso ? The data of the investigation are those of the fifth demographic and health survey of Burkina Faso. Women aged 18-24 at the time of the survey constitute the target population. Since 1992, the marriage of girls has been steadily declining until 2021, from 62% to 36.5%. According to the equation of the linear trend curve over this period, child marriage of female children could be eradicated by 2064. The explanatory analysis through logistic regression indicates that the place of residence, the region of residence, the age at first sexual intercourse, religion, ethnicity, the standard of living of the household, the occupation and the level of education of the woman determine the marriage of girls before 18 years of age.

Keywords: Children, Adolescents, and Youth, Families, Unions and Households

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