Peer-reviewed article
“On the Wings of Wishes” (Icchedana), Adolescent Girls in Bangladesh Taking Flight Using A Social Behavioral Change Communication Program to Address Child Marriage Related Social Norms: A Longitudinal Panel Study
Suruchi Sood, Astha Ramaiya ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study evaluated a transmedia entertainment-education program called Icchedana in Bangladesh designed to shift social norms around child marriage. Researchers tracked over 3,900 people across households including fathers, mothers, adolescent boys, and girls over time. The program reduced people's perception that child marriage was common in their communities and increased fathers' disapproval of child marriage, though mothers and girls showed less change. Exposure to the program made people more aware of what others thought about child marriage.
Key points
- Perceived prevalence of child marriage and dowry exchange declined at endline across respondents' communities
- Fathers reported significantly higher levels of disapproval for child marriage after exposure to the program
- Mothers and adolescent girls showed decreased disapproval at endline, contrary to the expected direction
- Respondents with Icchedana exposure were more likely to report that others' expectations influenced their behavior regarding child marriage
- Most respondents across groups had lower odds of identifying rewards or consequences associated with rejecting child marriage at endline
Limitations
The study does not report actual behavioral changes in child marriage rates, only shifts in stated norms and perceptions. The mixed findings for mothers and girls, showing decreased disapproval, suggest the intervention may have had unintended consequences or differential effects that warrant further investigation.
Abstract
This paper examines the relationship between exposure to a transmedia entertainment-education (EE) social and behavior change communication (SBCC) initiative with shifting child marriage-related social norms. Districts were selected purposively, whereas households were selected randomly. A total of 1102 households (n = 3905) with fathers, mothers, adolescent boys, and girls completed the baseline and endline survey. Logistic regression using panel data was conducted. There was a decline in the perceived prevalence of child marriage and dowry exchange within respondents’ communities at endline. For injunctive norms, fathers reported significantly higher levels of disapproval for child marriage at endline. However, the reverse was true for mothers and adolescent girls. Almost all respondents had a significantly lower odds of identifying rewards/benefits and punishments/consequences associated with rejecting child marriage at endline. Most respondents with exposure to Icchedana were more likely to report the importance of injunctive norms or expectations of others on their behaviors, than those who were not exposed. Exposure to EE contributes to improved articulation of and shifts in social norms and engenders normative changes at the population level.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Transmedia entertainment-education (EE) social and behavior change communication (SBCC) program called 'On the Wings of Wishes' (Icchedana) addressing child marriage-related social norms
- Population
- 3,905 people across 1,102 households in Bangladesh, including fathers, mothers, adolescent boys, and adolescent girls
Key finding
Decline in perceived prevalence of child marriage and dowry exchange within communities at endline