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Early Marriage and Barriers to Contraception among Syrian Refugee Women in Lebanon: A Qualitative Study

Author

Listed:
  • Zeinab Cherri

    (Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, Institute of Health and Society, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1200 Brussels, Belgium)

  • Julita Gil Cuesta

    (Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, Institute of Health and Society, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1200 Brussels, Belgium)

  • Jose M. Rodriguez-Llanes

    (Directorate D—Sustainable Resources, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Ispra (VA), 21027 Varese, Italy)

  • Debarati Guha-Sapir

    (Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, Institute of Health and Society, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1200 Brussels, Belgium)

Abstract

The Syrian conflict has displaced five million individuals outside their country with Lebanon hosting the largest numbers per capita. Around 24% of Syrian refugees fleeing to Lebanon are women of reproductive age (15–49). Yet, a better understanding of the sexual and reproductive health needs of Syrian refugee women in Lebanon is required to improve provided services. Eleven focus group discussions were conducted in four regions of Lebanon with 108 Syrian refugee women of reproductive age. Thematic analysis was used to examine the data. Interviewed women were mainly adults. They believed that, in Lebanon, they were subjected to early marriage compared to the norm in Syria due to their financial situation and uncertainty. Cost was reported as the main barrier to use contraception in Lebanon but some Syrian refugee women were not aware of free services covering sexual and reproductive health. In general, marriage, pregnancy, and family planning behavior of Syrian refugee women in Lebanon slightly differed from those in Syria pre-conflict in terms of age of marriage, conception subsequent to marriage, and contraception method. Hence, interventions to increase awareness of subsidized sexual and reproductive health services, including free contraceptives at primary health care centers, and those targeting protection from early marriage of Syrian refugee women in Lebanon are strongly recommended.

Suggested Citation

  • Zeinab Cherri & Julita Gil Cuesta & Jose M. Rodriguez-Llanes & Debarati Guha-Sapir, 2017. "Early Marriage and Barriers to Contraception among Syrian Refugee Women in Lebanon: A Qualitative Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-16, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:14:y:2017:i:8:p:836-:d:105853
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Caroline Krafft & Diana Jimena Arango & Amalia Hadas Rubin & Jocelyn Kelly, 2024. "Conflict and Girl Child Marriage: Global Evidence," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 43(4), pages 1-26, August.
    2. Rayan Korri & Guenter Froeschl & Olena Ivanova, 2021. "A Cross-Sectional Quantitative Study on Sexual and Reproductive Health Knowledge and Access to Services of Arab and Kurdish Syrian Refugee Young Women Living in an Urban Setting in Lebanon," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-17, September.
    3. Jimmy T. Efird & Pollie Bith-Melander, 2018. "Refugee Health: An Ongoing Commitment and Challenge," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-3, January.
    4. Najjarnejad, Negin & Bromfield, Nicole, 2022. "Professional stakeholders’ perceptions of child marriage in Lebanon among Syrian refugees," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).

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