Peer-reviewed article
Community-Based Interventions for Preventing Child Marriage in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review
Desak Putu Yuli Kurniati, Pande Putu Januraga, Ni Made Swasti Wulanyani, Dyah Kanya Wati, Anak Agung Sagung Sawitri et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This systematic review examined community-based interventions to prevent child marriage in low- and middle-income countries between 2015 and 2024. Eight high- to moderate-quality studies were analysed to understand what works in preventing child marriage at the community level. The research found that economic support alone is insufficient; successful interventions combined economic assistance with community dialogue, skills training, and genuine community participation to change how girls are valued. Community programmes work best when they move beyond surface-level consultation to involve communities as active partners and enforcers of change.
Key points
- Economic interventions can delay child marriage but are fragile without accompanying changes in community norms and attitudes
- Interventions emphasizing girls' desirability through dialogue and skills training more effectively changed girls' own perceptions
- Passive community consultation did not change norms, but 'shared leadership' and active community participation created local enforcement of prevention
- Effective strategies require integration of economic incentives, community mobilization, and vocational training rather than single-component approaches
- Current 'empowerment-lite' approaches should shift to 'structural-plus' integrated approaches that transform communities from passive recipients to active owners
Limitations
This is a systematic review of existing studies rather than primary research, so it is limited by the quality and scope of the eight studies it analysed. The review does not provide detailed cost-effectiveness data or long-term sustainability outcomes beyond what individual studies reported.
Abstract
Child marriage (CM) reflects gender inequality, resulting in adverse health outcomes for adolescent girls in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Community participation is vital in preventing CM, but community-led interventions lack sufficient research. This study assessed the effectiveness of community-based interventions in reducing CM in LMICs. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines, we searched PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science for peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2024. Eight studies of high to moderate quality were summarized through a narrative method, guided by three frameworks: the typology of community approaches, the continuum of participation, and the drivers of marriageability. Analysis showed a competing priority between scalability and sustainability. Economic interventions could delay eligibility but were fragile without normative change. Interventions that emphasized desirability, through dialogue or skills training, more effectively changed girls' perceptions. Community success relied on participation: passive consultation did not change norms, but "shared leadership" created local enforcement. Addressing CM requires targeted solutions. Effective strategies merge economic incentives for immediate poverty relief with community mobilization and vocational training to shift perceptions of girls' value. Future policies should change from "empowerment-lite" to integrated "structural-plus" approaches, transforming communities from passive recipients to active enforcers and owners of programs.