Early marriage and malnutrition pose serious health risks to girls in Yemen: UN

The United Nations has warned that child marriage, malnutrition and limited access to healthcare in war-torn Yemen are posing serious threats to the lives of pregnant women and young girls. According to UN News, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says around 1.3 million pregnant and breastfeeding women in Yemen are suffering from malnutrition, while around 100,000 women have been displaced from their homes, further increasing the risk of complications during childbirth.

Reham Hazbar, a counsellor at a UNFPA-supported safe space in Al Hudaydah, said there has been a significant rise in cases of malnutrition among pregnant girls, particularly those who were married at a young age. Many girls arrive at health facilities underweight, anaemic and severely fatigued, with their bodies not fully prepared to meet the demands of pregnancy.

Yemen is facing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. This year, more than 22 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, more than half of them women and girls. Less than two-thirds of the country’s health facilities are fully operational, and only about one-fifth provide maternal and child health services.

Health workers say many women cannot afford transportation costs, medicines and nutritional supplements, while social restrictions also prevent some girls from seeking timely medical care. In many areas, there is also a shortage of medical staff and adequate healthcare facilities. According to the United Nations, nearly one-third of girls in Yemen are married during childhood, while the rate is even higher among displaced families.

More than half of the population faces severe food insecurity, contributing to rising rates of severe anemia and vitamin deficiencies among women and girls. The report says fewer than half of women in Yemen give birth at health facilities, while around 30 percent receive no medical care during pregnancy. Malnutrition and inadequate access to healthcare are contributing to increased cases of premature births, dangerous bleeding, low birth weight and insufficient breast milk production.  The report also highlights the case of 19-year-old Dunia Adel, who is eight months pregnant and already the mother of a two-year-old daughter. As a child, Dunia dreamed of going to school and becoming a teacher. However, poverty forced her to drop out of school at the age of eight, and she was married at 15.

Dunia said she experienced both happiness and fear during her pregnancy because she still considered herself a child, and taking on the responsibility of motherhood at such a young age was extremely difficult for her. Suffering from malnutrition, she is weak and exhausted and often goes to bed hungry after feeding her daughter. Safe spaces supported by UNFPA are providing affected women with medical counseling, referrals for treatment and other forms of assistance.