Conflict-Driven School Closures Increasing Early Marriage and Unwanted Pregnancies, Warns CEWA

The Coalition of Ethiopian Women's Associations (CEWA) has highlighted the severe impact of conflict-driven school disruptions on female students across Ethiopia. Executive Director Saba Gebremedhin warned that school closures are pushing young girls into early marriages and unwanted pregnancies. She emphasized that significant progress had previously been made toward achieving gender equality in education, but the current security situation is reversing those hard-won gains. Without urgent intervention, this trend risks leaving a future generation with a high number of uneducated women and mothers. The coalition expressed deep concern that years of developmental efforts to empower female students are being eroded by ongoing instability. Ultimately, the statement underscores the broader long-term social consequences of armed conflict on young women's basic rights and educational prospects in the country.