Peer-reviewed article
Exploring Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs About Child Marriage in Bangladesh Through a Transmedia Entertainment-Education Initative
Michael K. Hauer, Suruchi Sood ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study evaluated a transmedia entertainment-education campaign called Icchedana launched by UNICEF and the Government of Bangladesh to change attitudes about child marriage. Researchers collected data in 2017 and 2019 and identified five key drivers of child marriage in Bangladesh: poverty, dowry practices, family honour, education, and violence against women. The study found that exposure to Icchedana was associated with more positive attitudes towards ending child marriage.
Key points
- Child marriage remains deeply ingrained in Bangladeshi society despite widespread condemnation and multiple initiatives
- Five determinants of child marriage were identified: poverty, dowry, family honour, education, and violence against women and girls
- The study used the social-ecological model, recognizing that change must occur at multiple levels
- Exposure to the Icchedana campaign was associated with positive attitudes towards ending child marriage
- Prevalence rates of child marriage have only been decreasing slowly despite intervention efforts
Limitations
The document does not provide details on study design, sample size, comparison groups, or specific outcome measures, making it difficult to assess the strength of evidence. The abstract does not clarify whether the association found was causal or correlational, or provide information on long-term behaviour change or actual reduction in child marriage practices.
Abstract
Despite widespread condemnation of child marriage in Bangladesh, the practice is still deeply ingrained in Bangladeshi society. Multiple initiatives have been developed to end child marriage, yet prevalence rates have only been decreasing slowly. In 2017, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), The Government of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Children and Women’s Affairs, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and other partners launched a transmedia campaign, Icchedana, to address social norms surrounding several issues surrounding the well-being of adolescent girls. Data were collected in 2017 and 2019. After conducting a literature review and identifying five determinants of child marriage (poverty, the practice of dowry, family honour, education, and violence against women and girls) in Bangladesh, we used questions that were specifically relevant to child marriage. Two questions from each level of the social-ecological model (SEM) were selected. The SEM was utilized in this paper because it acknowledges that change must occur at each level for change to occur. The findings show that having watched Icchedana was associated with positive attitudes towards ending child marriage in Bangladesh and provide insight into the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about child marriage in Bangladesh.