Girls should be Girls: The Impact of Child Marriage on Human Development

This study reviews the literature on how child marriage affects human development. It looks at education, the labor market, health, fertility, violence and female empowerment. The document says that in Brazil child marriage is mostly informal and consensual, and often involves adult men and girls in early puberty. The review finds that child marriage has a negative impact on these indicators and argues that the practice should be eliminated.

Key points

• Child marriage is described as a violation of human rights and an obstacle to social and economic development.
• The practice is strongly rooted in gender inequality.
• In Brazil it is mostly informal and consensual, often involving adult men and girls in early puberty.
• The literature shows a negative impact on education, labor market, health, fertility, violence and female empowerment.
• The authors say these findings support eliminating child marriage to secure women's right to a full economic and social life.

Limitations

Only the abstract is available, so we cannot see which studies were reviewed, how they were selected, or the size of the effects. The document does not evaluate an intervention.