Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations made in the report by Oxfam Born to Be Married: Addressing child, early and forced marriage in Nyal, South Sudan, published on 18 February, in particular the recommendation to integrate the prevention of, and response to, child, early, and forced marriage with women’s empowerment activities in humanitarian and development planning and programming at all stages of the programme cycle.

The UK welcomes Oxfam’s report into child, early and forced marriage (CEFM). The shocking number of girls married before the age of 18 in Nyal demonstrates how women and girls are suffering the worst effects of this brutal crisis.

UK aid considers gender at all stages of the humanitarian and development programme cycle. Specifically, we support several efforts to integrate CEFM prevention and response, and women’s empowerment activities into our work. Education is a key factor enabling girls to avoid child marriage and our Girls Education South Sudan (GESS) programme is keeping up to a quarter of a million girls in school. We also work with International Medical Corps in Nyal and other areas of the country to improve awareness of CEFM and to provide women and girls with information on all forms of gender-based violence, rights and services available. The programme also engages women in income generating activities and provides support to help them set up their own businesses.