We study the impact of a scholarship-based intervention aimed to reduce child marriage by fostering secondary education among adolescent girls in Niger. Using a large-scale randomized controlled trial, we find that after three years of implementation, the intervention led to large and positive effects. It halved both dropout and marriage rates and increased girls' and their parents' aspirations. Importantly, there is no displacement effect detrimental to the education and marriage status of nontreatment girls. Our results show that financial aid for education has the potential to transform adolescent girls' lives. (JEL I21, I28, J13, J16, O15)
Hélène Giacobino, Élise Huillery, Bastien Michel et al.
Esta nota foi elaborada para informar o dialogo sobre politicas para a eliminacao do casamento na infância e adolescencia no Brasil e aumentar a conscientizacao sobre o assunto no pais. A analise faz parte de um programa de trabalho do Banco Mundial para catalisar a atencao e os investimentos visando a aumentar a escolaridade das meninas, acabar com o casamento na infância e adolescencia e prevenir a gravidez precoce ao redor do mundo. No caso do Brasil, mais do que investimentos, e preciso iniciativas e acoes especificas visando esses objetivos. A nota se baseia em dados dos censos de 2000 e 2010 e da PNAD de 2015 para documentar as tendencias dessas questoes no Brasil. Embasada por dados do programa Mulheres, Empresas e o Direito do Banco Mundial, esta nota tambem examina a legislacao vigente relativa ao casamento infantil. Com base em evidencias internacionais, a nota discute ainda politicas e programas para melhorar os resultados para meninas adolescentes.
Quentin T. Wodon, Paula Magarinos Torres Tavares, Chata Malé et al.
All girls have the right to grow up free of gender-related violence and to be able to benefit from being educated. Investing in the education of girls is recognized to be one of the best investments a country can make because of the health, social, and economic benefits that accrue, not just for the educated young woman but for broader society. Problematically, child marriage is still commonplace globally, and in addition to being a human rights issue, girls being made to marry too young robs them of their childhood and also of the ability to benefit fully from their education. The negative effects of marrying too young can impact whole lifetimes; common consequences include pregnancy complications, the risk of spousal violence, and significant mental health issues. UNICEF and the WHO have called for action to reduce child marriage by providing adolescent girls with life skills training, comprehensive sexual health education, and support to stay in school, in addition to working at a community level to change attitudes that potentiate the cultural beliefs that potentiate the custom. As global health advocates, we need to recognize child marriage as a fundamental human rights issue that demands global attention, and look for ways to contribute to the support and empowerment of girls who are at risk.
Kanyashree Prakalpa, launched by the Government of West Bengal, is one of India’s most successful conditional cash transfer schemes aimed at improving girls’ education and reducing child marriage. The program financially supports adolescent girls to remain unmarried and continue their studies until at least eighteen years of age. This research paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the program’s components, implementation, and outcomes by synthesizing evidence from multiple scholarly studies. The findings indicate that the scheme has significantly reduced child marriage, decreased dropout rates, and strengthened girls’ access to higher education. Additionally, Kanyashree has contributed to women’s empowerment by enhancing their socio-economic status, decision-making ability, and self-confidence. The paper concludes with recommendations to strengthen the scheme further and sustain long-term impact.
BACKGROUND: Adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) is a major public health concern in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, inequalities in ASRH have received less attention than many other public health priority areas, in part due to limited data. In this study, we examine inequalities in key ASRH indicators. METHODS: We analyzed national household surveys from 37 countries in SSA, conducted during 1990-2018, to examine trends and inequalities in adolescent behaviors related to early marriage, childbearing and sexual debut among adolescents using data from respondents 15-24 years. Survival analyses were conducted on each survey to obtain estimates for the ASRH indicators. Multilevel linear regression modelling was used to obtain estimates for 2000 and 2015 in four subregions of SSA for all indicators, disaggregated by sex, age, household wealth, urban-rural residence and educational status (primary or less versus secondary or higher education). RESULTS: In 2015, 28% of adolescent girls in SSA were married before age 18, declined at an average annual rate of 1.5% during 2000-2015, while 47% of girls gave birth before age 20, declining at 0.6% per year. Child marriage was rare for boys (2.5%). About 54% and 43% of girls and boys, respectively, had their sexual debut before 18. The declines were greater for the indicators of early adolescence (10-14 years). Large differences in marriage and childbearing were observed between adolescent girls from rural versus urban areas and the poorest versus richest households, with much greater inequalities observed in West and Central Africa where the prevalence was highest. The urban-rural and wealth-related inequalities remained stagnant or widened during 2000-2015, as the decline was relatively slower among rural and the poorest compared to urban and the richest girls. The prevalence of the ASRH indicators did not decline or increase in either education categories. CONCLUSION: Early marriage, childbearing and sexual debut declined in SSA but the 2015 levels were still high, especially in Central and West Africa, and inequalities persisted or became larger. In particular, rural, less educated and poorest adolescent girls continued to face higher ASRH risks and vulnerabilities. Greater attention to disparities in ASRH is needed for better targeting of interventions and monitoring of progress.
Dessalegn Y. Melesse, Réka Maulide Cane, Aveneni Mangombe et al.
Background: Rohingya girls living in the refugee camps in Bangladesh are disproportionately vulnerable to child marriages and teenage pregnancies. This study examines the factors affecting child marriage and contraceptive use among Rohingya girls who have experienced child marriages. Methods: We collected and analysed quantitative and qualitative data from adolescent Rohingya girls (age 10-19 years) who experienced child marriages. The quantitative data (n=96) came from a cross-sectional survey, and the qualitative data (n=18) from in-depth interviews conducted in the world's largest refugee camp located in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. We also interviewed service providers (n=9) of reproductive healthcare services to gain their perspectives regarding contraceptive use among these young girls. We used descriptive statistics to characterise the girls’ demographic profiles, ages at their first marriages, and contraceptive use. Thematic analysis was used for the qualitative data to identify key factors influencing child marriage and contraceptive use among these girls. Findings: On average, the adolescent female participants had been 15.7 years old when they were first married. Over 80% had given birth during the two years before the survey or were pregnant during time of the data collection. The main factors that influenced child marriage were found to be perceptions regarding the physical and mental maturity for marriage, social norms, insecurity, family honour, preferences for younger brides and the relaxed enforcement of the minimum legal age for marriage. A third (34%) of the girls said they were using contraceptives on the week when the study was conducted. The desire for children, religious beliefs, misapprehension about contraception and long waiting periods in facility-based health services and current service provision were the main factors influencing contraceptive use. Depo Provera injections and pills were the dominant methods of contraception. Contraceptive use during the period between marriage and the first childbirth is rare. Interpretation: Girl child marriage is common in Rohingya camps. Contraceptive use is rare among newly married girls before they give birth for the first time. The involvement of female and male Rohingya volunteers for outreach services can be catalytic in promoting contraceptive use. Funding: La Trobe Asia, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. Bengali translation of the abstract in Appendix 1
This study aimed to examine the lived experiences of adolescent girls engaged in child marriage, particularly in Cotabato City within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Child marriage remains a persistent global issue and has long been practiced in the Philippines, especially among Muslim and Indigenous Peoples (IP) communities, due in part to Presidential Decree 1083, which previously exempted these groups from the legal minimum marriage age of eighteen. However, this exemption was removed with the passage of Republic Act No. 11596, also known as the “Anti-Child Marriage Law,” in 2021. Utilizing a phenomenological qualitative research design and thematic analysis, the study gathered data through in-depth interviews (IDI) and focus group discussions (FGD) with seventeen (17) adolescent participants aged 15–19. Findings reveal that despite the new legislation, child marriage continues to be practiced, albeit often unreported due to fear of legal consequences under RA 11596. The study identifies that cultural traditions and religious beliefs, particularly the desire to maintain a “halal” relationship, are primary drivers of the practice. It also uncovers the various challenges faced by child brides, including socioeconomic hardship, societal and cultural pressures, and the burdens of early motherhood. Moreover, the study explores the coping mechanisms adopted by these adolescents and their personal reflections on their experiences as child brides.
In the last decade, reduction in adolescent fertility rates in Indonesia has slowed despite national programmes and policies focused on addressing child marriage. Indonesia currently has the highest number of births to adolescent girls aged 15-19 years in Southeast Asia. There is a need to develop a more nuanced understanding of the drivers of adolescent pregnancy in Indonesia to inform programmes and policies tailored to young people's needs and priorities. This study explored adolescent girls' pathways to pregnancy across two provinces (Central Sulawesi and West Java) in Indonesia. We conducted participatory timeline interviews with 79 girls aged 15-21 years from urban, peri-urban, and rural communities and inquired about their relationships and life experiences leading up to pregnancy. We conducted follow-up interviews with 19 selected participants to validate and clarify preliminary findings. We identified six pathways to adolescent pregnancy which were broadly differentiated by the timing of pregnancy relative to marriage. Three pregnancy pathways within marriage were further differentiated by the main motivation for marriage-financial reasons, protecting the girl and family's reputation, or to progress a romantic relationship. Three pregnancy pathways outside marriage were distinguished by the nature of the sexual relationship preceding pregnancy-consensual sex, unwanted or pressured sex, and forced sex. Drivers of adolescent pregnancy include the acceptability of child marriage and stigma surrounding premarital pregnancy, family and social expectations of pregnancy following marriage, harmful gender-based norms and violence, and lack of sexual and reproductive health information and access to services. Adolescents follow varied pathways to pregnancy in Indonesia. The idealisation and acceptance of child marriage is both a catalyst and outcome of adolescent pregnancy, which is occurring amid stigma surrounding premarital sex and pregnancy, harmful gender-based norms and violence, and barriers to contraceptive access and use. Our findings emphasise that there are many drivers of adolescent pregnancy and different pathways will require intervention approaches that address child marriage alongside other key contributors.
Sherria Ayuandini, Marie Habito, Steven Ellis et al.
The study was carried out with the main objective of finding out the effects of child marriages on the girl child. In a bid to fully understand the impact of these marriages, the research needed to first understand the factors that perpetuated these child marriages. The descriptive survey research design was used to conduct the study. A sample of 25 adolescent girls who were in child marriages was selected through the snowballing to be respondents in the study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from the adolescent girls. To get a better understanding of what the community thought about these child marriages, 5 community leaders were selected through purposive sampling to be participants of the study. Their views, perceptions and thoughts were collected through a semi-structured interview. The findings of the study from both the questionnaire and the interview data indicated that the major factors that forced girls into early marriages were issues of economic situations, such as poverty in the home, peer pressure, traditional beliefs, the undervaluing of the girl child and also issues of patriarchy. These were found to be the major drivers of child marriages. It was discovered that some of the respondents who took part in the study were less than 13 years old, meaning that girls of this age were married and running home, this is a sad scenario and a cause for concern. The effects of early marriages on the girl child were very profound. The major effects that came out of this study was that young girls were disempowered and deprived of all opportunities in all spheres of their lives, they were also found to have ‘lost’ their ‘freedoms’ be they social, emotional and psychological, this was mainly due to gender inequality and the discrepancy in ages between the marriage partners in most cases. It was concluded that the majority of the girls in child marriages were aware of the problems inherent in these marriages.
BACKGROUND: Child marriage, defined as marriage before age 18, is associated with adverse human capital outcomes. The child marriage burden remains high among female adolescents in Indonesia, despite increasing socioeconomic development. Research on child marriage in Southeast Asia is scarce. No nationally representative studies thus far have examined determinants of child marriage in Indonesia through multivariate regression modeling. METHODS: We used data from the nationally representative 2012 Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey and the Adolescent Reproductive Health Survey to estimate determinants of child marriage and marital preferences. We ran multivariate models to estimate the association between demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and the following early marriage outcomes: 1) ever been married or cohabited, 2) married or cohabited before 18 years, 3) married or cohabited before 16 years, 4) self-reported marital-age preferences and 5) attitudes approving female child marriage. RESULTS: Among the child marriage research sample (n = 6578, females aged 20-24 at time of survey), approximately 17% and 6% report being married before 18 and 16 years old respectively. Among the marital preferences research sample (n = 8779, unmarried females 15-24), the average respondent preferred marriage at approximately 26 years and 5% had attitudes approving child marriage. Education, wealth and media exposure have protective effects across marriage outcomes, while rural residence is a risk factor for the same. There are significant variations by region, indicating roles of religious, ethnic and other geographically diverse factors. CONCLUSION: This research fills a gap in understanding of child marriage determinants in Indonesia. There appears to be little support for child marriage among girls and young women, indicating an entry point for structural interventions that would lead to lasting change. Future research efforts should prioritize rigorous testing of gender-transformative education and economic strengthening interventions, including cost-effectiveness considerations to better understand how interventions and policies can be leveraged to deliver on ending child marriage in Indonesia and globally.
Lauren Rumble, Amber Peterman, Nadira Irdiana et al.
