New insights on preventing child marriage: a global analysis of factors and programs.

TLDR

Existing research on child marriage has focused on prevalence, consequences, and reasons for early marriage, but has paid little attention to risk and protective factors or to the effectiveness of prevention programs. This study examines which risk and protective factors influence child marriage and evaluates current prevention programs to guide policymakers and practitioners. The analysis identifies actionable risk and protective factors and maps existing programs, providing guidance for expanding effective child‑marriage prevention efforts. Excerpt.

Abstract

Current literature on child marriage has primarily examined the prevalence consequences and reported reasons for early marriage. Much less has been analyzed about the risk and protective factors that may be associated with child marriage. Also little is known about the range of existing programs addressing child marriage and what does and does not work in preventing early marriage. The work presented here investigates two key questions: What factors are associated with risk of or protection against child marriage and ultimately could be the focus of prevention efforts? What are the current programmatic approaches to prevent child marriage in developing countries and are these programs effective? This report is for policy-makers and development practitioners working on or planning a future program to prevent child marriage. New insights on risk and protective factors will help program designers find points of intervention to prevent child marriage. The program scan offers a better understanding of what programs currently exist and how to expand efforts. (excerpt)