Egypt records 252 cases of early marriage in one year

CAIRO – 15 August 2025: The National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) has documented 252 cases of early (child) marriage in Egypt during the period from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, according to Sabri Othman, Director of the Child Helpline at the Council, in a statement to Youm7 on Friday.

Othman noted that the Council successfully thwarted 196 of these attempts, while the remaining cases were only discovered after the marriages had already been conducted.

Among the cases prevented were two involving 16-year-old girls—one in Abu El Matamir, located in Beheira Governorate in the Nile Delta, and another in Abu Tig, Assiut Governorate in Upper Egypt. In both instances, families attempted to marry off the girls before they reached the legal age, but intervention by the Council stopped the process.

Othman revealed that Sohag Governorate recorded the highest number of early marriage cases, with 47 incidents, followed by Dakahlia with 33, Assiut with 26, and Beheira ranking sixth with 14.

He added that early marriage is most prevalent in Upper Egypt governorates, followed by Lower Egypt, highlighting that the issue remains a serious concern despite ongoing efforts to raise awareness and enforce the law.