Project report
Economic impacts of child marriage : Ethiopia synthesis report
·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This synthesis report looks at the economic costs of child marriage in Ethiopia. It examines five areas of impact: fertility and population growth; health, nutrition and violence; education and learning; labour force participation and earnings; and participation, decision-making and investments. Economic costs are estimated for several of these impacts. The report concludes that the costs are high and that investing to end child marriage makes economic sense as well as being the right thing to do. It notes that Ethiopia has recently adopted a strategy to end child marriage.
Key points
- Ending child marriage is now part of the Sustainable Development Goals, but investment to end it remains limited worldwide.
- Ethiopia recently adopted a strategy to end child marriage, and some ongoing projects should help reduce the practice.
- The study covers five domains: fertility and population growth; health, nutrition and violence; education and learning; labour force participation and earnings; participation, decision-making and investments.
- Economic costs are estimated for several of the impacts, and overall the costs are high.
Limitations
Only the abstract is available, so the methods, data sources, specific cost figures and which impacts were costed are not known. It does not evaluate an intervention.
Abstract
The international community is increasingly aware of the negative impacts of child marriage on a wide range of development outcomes. Ending child marriage is now part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Yet investments to end the practice remain limited across the globe. Ethiopia recently adopted a strategy to end child marriage, and some of the projects being implemented in the country should contribute to reduce the practice child marriage. Still, more could be done. In order to inspire greater commitments towards ending child marriage, this study demonstrates the negative impacts of the practice and their associated economic costs. The study looks at five domains of impacts: (i) fertility and population growth; (ii) health, nutrition, and violence; (iii) educational attainment and learning; (iv) labor force participation and earnings; and (v) participation, decision-making, and investments. Economic costs are estimated for several of theimpacts. Overall, the costs are high. They suggest that investing to end child marriage is not only the right thing to do, but also makes sense economically. (World)