Circumscribed Lives: Separated, divorced, and widowed female youth in South Sudan and the Kurdistan region of Iraq

This briefing paper follows the lives of female youth that married as minors and later became separated, divorced or widowed. Authors  underscore the unique vulnerabilities and challenges that each of these groups face, including profound mental health difficulties, economic deprivation, and social stigma and isolation. As well, the paper document how female youth who are mothers often lose custody of their children if they are divorced or widowed, with profound negative psychosocial consequences. The paper closes with specific recommendations for humanitarians to support female youth with these marital statuses, as programs rarely target these special categories of female youth.

This material is a part of the Early Marriage among Female Youth in Displacement Collection.