Girl Child Marriage Research Articles

Conflict and Girl Child Marriage: Global Evidence

Conflict and Girl Child Marriage: Global Evidence

Occurrences and characteristics of forced marriages among girls married before the age of 16 in a Northern Nigerian State

Abstract Background: Child marriage is deeply ingrained in Nigerian tradition, culture, and religion, and the country has one of the highest rates of child marriage globally. The objective of this study was to examine the occurrence and characteristics of coerced marriages among girls married before turning 16 in Borno, Nigeria. It perceives premarital unions as a substantial violation of human rights, particularly affecting the independence of adolescent girls. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study took place in three local government areas (LGAs) situated in Borno, Nigeria, namely Konduga, Jere, and Maiduguri Metropolitan City LGAs. Structured questionnaires were distributed to 210 female participants aged between 15 and 49, who were married before reaching 16, from 1989 to 2019, to gather data. Data analysis was done using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 25.0, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Results: The incidence of forced marriage among girls under 16 years old was recorded at 23.8%, notably higher during the period spanning from 1980 to 1989 at 37.5%. Among respondents currently married, approximately one-fifth (23.1%) disclosed being coerced into marriage. A higher proportion underwent forced marriage during the ages of 9–12 years, accounting for 33.3%. Moreover, a considerable portion of respondents with no formal education (28.6%) and those who attended Qur’anic schools (25.5%) were compelled into marriage. The prevalence of fistula among girls married early stood at 8.6%, with 10.6% among those not subjected to forced marriage and 2.0% among girls who were coerced. Among early married girls, 20.5% reported facing ill-treatment from their spouses, with a higher proportion (30.0%) among those coerced into marriage compared to those not coerced (17.5%). Additionally, gender-based violence from family members was notably more prevalent among girls forced into marriage (32.0%), with a significance level of P < 0.05. Conclusion: Efforts directed toward reducing the prevalence of girl-child marriage in Nigeria should focus on tackling entrenched cultural norms that differ among ethnic groups and religious beliefs. The public health implications encompass gender-based violence, abuse, and the breakdown of marriages.

Socio-ecological factors of girl child marriage: a meta-synthesis of qualitative research

BackgroundChild marriage of girls is one example of human rights violations, and is increasingly recognized as a key obstacle to global public health. Given the importance of a comprehensive understanding of the motivations for child marriage, this study aimed to identify socio-ecological factors contributing to gills child marriage.MethodsA comprehensive search was conducted of all English-language studies measuring causes of child marriage between 2000 and October 2022 in the Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, PsycInfo, ProQuest, Poplin and Google Scholar databases. Girl child marriage is defined as a marriage under the age of 18. In this study, the CASP evaluation checklist was used to collect data. Two independent reviewers reviewed all articles.ResultsA total of 34 eligible qualitative articles were included. The most salient causes of child marriage among girls include low skills and knowledge, internal and external beliefs and motivations, and physical advantages at the individual level. Family characteristics and structure contribute to child marriage at the interpersonal level, while environmental and economic factors play a role at the community level. Social factors and cultural norms, as well as the shortcomings and weaknesses of legislation, are also contributing factors at the society level.ConclusionThe results showed that cultural beliefs supporting gender inequality and economic status were the most important causes of child marriage. These results can help policymakers and decision-makers implement strategies to reduce gender inequality to prevent child marriage.

Prevalence of girl and boy child marriage across states and Union Territories in India, 1993–2021: a repeated cross-sectional study

India's success in eliminating child marriage is crucial to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal target 5.3. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of child marriage in girls and boys in India and describe its change across 36 states and Union Territories between 1993 and 2021. For this cross-sectional study, data from five National Family Health Surveys from 1993, 1999, 2006, 2016, and 2021 were used. The study included 310 721 women aged 20-24 years between 1993 and 2021 and 43 436 men aged 20-24 years between 2006 and 2021. Child marriage was defined as marriage in individuals younger than 18 years for men and women. We calculated the annual change in prevalence during the study period for states and Union Territories and estimated the population headcount of child brides and grooms. Child marriage declined during 1993 to 2021. The all-India prevalence of child marriage in girls declined from 49·4% (95% CI 48·1-50·8) in 1993 to 22·3% (21·9-22·7) in 2021. Child marriage in boys declined from 7·1% (6·9-30·8) in 2006 to 2·2% (1·8-2·7) in 2021. The largest decreases in child marriage occurred between 2006 and 2016. Between 2016 and 2021, a few states and Union Territories saw an increase in prevalence of child marriage in girls (n=6) and boys (n=8) despite declines in the all-India prevalence. In 2021, 13 464 450 women aged 20-24 years and 1 454 894 men aged 20-24 years were estimated to be married as children. One in five girls and nearly one in six boys are still married below the legal age of marriage in India. There remains an urgent need for strengthened national and state-level policy to eliminate child marriage by 2030. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Unveiling the Silent Suffering: Exploring the Lived Experience of Girl Child Marriage Victims and its Impact on their Education

This qualitative study aimed to explore the lived experiences of victims of girl child marriage, an issue that persistently affects countless girls worldwide, and its impact on the victim’s education. Using a phenomenological approach, the study delves into the narratives of girls who have been married off at an early age, examining their perspectives on the impact of marriage on their education, personal development, and overall well-being emotions. Through in-depth interviews and thematic analysis, the study reveals the multifaceted nature of girl-child marriage and its profound impact on the lives of its victims. Girl child marriage victims experienced emotional and psychological distress, socio-economic and health-related challenges, as well as a disruption in their education. By giving voice to the experiences of these girls, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the intricacies surrounding girl-child marriage and underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions and policy changes.

Improving Girls' Rights in Early Marriage in the Indonesian Legal System

Indonesia ranks 10th in the world of child marriage and second in Southeast Asia. The Indonesian government anticipated this by requiring the age of marriage to be 19 for girls, but in the reality, this regulation has not been effective in preventing it, as marriage of girls under 19 in Indonesia is a social problem, despite the detriment of girls. This is the reality, so it is necessary to conduct comprehensive research aimed at finding solutions to the problem of girl-child marriage. The rights of girls must be protected, especially the rights in marriage. This research is a type of legal sociology with an empirical approach. Looking for data on the fact that girls are getting married. The conceptual approach is based on the doctrine of the issue of girl-child marriage, and the normative approach is the study of norms for the protection of girls. Technical analysis is qualitative descriptive. The results showed that poverty, promiscuity, and cultural factors were the causes, as well as legal factors that were unable to prevent it due to the incompatibility of Article 7 paragraph (1) with paragraph (2) of the Indonesian Marriage Law, thus building a new concept of "Peace in the Protection of Women's Rights" as a new concept of thinking to overcome girl child marriage. The government should set up a multisectoral Independent Institute for the Prevention and Protection of Women's Rights, as an alternative to address the problem of underage girl marriage in Indonesia, to create a quality generation of the nation.

Exploring Disability as a Determinant of Girl Child Marriage in Fragile States: A Multicountry Analysis

PurposeFragile states are countries characterized by poverty, conflict, political instability, insecurity, and disaster. In such settings, there are high levels of disability and women and girls are disproportionately impacted by violence. Despite the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal's call for both the elimination of violence against women and girls and disability-disaggregated data, few studies have investigated how disability may be associated with girl child marriage (GCM) and how these two factors impact intimate partner violence (IPV). This study sought to assess the prevalence and associations of disability with GCM and IPV among currently married/cohabiting women (aged 20–24 years) in fragile states. MethodsA secondary data analysis of pooled nationally representative data from four Demographic and Health Surveys were analyzed using multivariable regressions to examine the associations between disability, GCM, and IPV (N = 3,119). The association between disability and GCM was further analyzed by multinomial regressions. These weighted analyses accounted for complex survey designs. ResultsOverall, 54.4% of GCM occurred among women with disabilities. Disabled women were more likely to report GCM compared to women without disabilities (adjusted odds ratio = 1.62, 95% confidence interval = 1.16–2.28). Among disabled women with a history of GCM, 41.3% experienced past-year IPV. Disabled women with a history of GCM were more likely to report past-year IPV compared to nondisabled women and no GCM (adjusted odds ratio = 1.78, confidence interval = 1.21–2.62). DiscussionGCM and IPV (e.g., past-year, lifetime) among disabled girls may be pervasive in fragile states, underscoring the need for additional research examining the mechanisms driving these observations and to inform inclusive programming and policy.

Hostile Sexism and Gender System Justification Predict Greater Support for Girl Child Marriage in Turkey

Hostile Sexism and Gender System Justification Predict Greater Support for Girl Child Marriage in Turkey

Psychological Trauma and Socio-Economic Burden of Girl-Child Marriage in Nigeria: Stephanie Linus’ ‘Dry’ as a Filmic Advocacy

The need to proffer solutions to the consequences of girl-child forced marriages in Nigeria has continued to draw scholarly attention within the ambits of sociology, history, law and human-right, women and gender studies, health, and psychology studies. However, studies examining the application of Nollywood films as advocacy texts in this regard are scarce. In response to this gap, this study examines interpretively Stephanie Linus’ ‘Dry’ as a filmic advocacy text, portraying the psychological trauma and the socio-economic burden of girl-child marriages in northern Nigeria. Our interpretive analyses utilize theories espousing how denial of childhood can become traumatic to the child-wives and eventually become a socio-economic burden to their family, community, and country. The key observation is that ‘Dry’ typifies a proper and efficacious utilization of film as an advocacy platform to interrogate and communicate matters relating to health and wellbeing revolving around girl-child forced marriages.

Girl child marriage and the social context of displacement: a qualitative comparative exploration of Syrian refugees in Jordan and Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh

BackgroundThere is growing global evidence that girl child marriage (CM) increases during humanitarian crises. Norms, attitudes, and policies that sustain CM are deeply entrenched within families and communities, and may be further exacerbated by conflict and displacement. The purpose of this study is to understand how the social and normative environment influences attitudes and practices related to CM in two diverse humanitarian settings.MethodsWe held a total of eight focus group discussions, four in each country, with Syrian refugees in Jordan and Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh. FGDs were conducted with fathers, mothers, and adolescent boys and girls.ResultsSimilar themes emerged from both settings. Participants discussed a desire to hold onto tradition in displacement and how norms are reinforced across generations. Social influence emerged in positive and negative ways, including peer pressure and conformity and the positive influence of host communities. In both settings, girls themselves described having little agency. Participants described resistance to change, which was exacerbated by conflict and displacement, though they discussed how social influence could be an effective way to challenge existing norms that drive the practice of girl child marriage.ConclusionsOur findings represent a more robust understanding of how norms operate within the social ecological system, and how they are reinforced across social relationships, offering an opportunity to more effectively challenge norms that sustain the practice of girl child marriage.

Cultural Pedogamy: Towards an Eco-Cultural Theory of Early (Child) Marriage

Early marriage, particularly (early) girl-child marriage, is prevalent in many indigenous ethnic and cultural communities around the world and in Cameroon. In spite of this, and despite the fact that studies have continued to be carried out on the phenomenon to elicit its causes and effects on individuals and practicing communities, no study has attempted to develop a psychological theory of the practice based on the practice itself. Most of the theories that have informed studies on early marriage practices have either been mainstream psychological theories; only one Africentric theory so far, namely the social ontogenetic theory of development, has made a contribution to explaining the practice from an African point of view. The theory of cultural pedogamy is developed from findings from the study titled “Early girl-child marriage: An exploration of its psychosocial practices and effect in four cultural communities in Cameroon.” The communities sampled included the Mbororo-Fulani communities of Sabga and Ndawara, the Moghamo cultural community, the Nwe Mundani, and the Lower Mboh. This study utilized the sequential exploratory design and data were collected from four cultural communities using questionnaires, key informant interviews, and focused group discussions. Data collected from interviews were analyzed using the process of thematic analysis with the support of Atlas.ti version 5.2 software (Atlas Ti GMBH 2006). Findings from the study revealed that the practice of early marriage is deeply rooted in cultural beliefs, norms, values, perceptions and expectations as well as in socio-economic conditions and has psychosocial, socio-economic and educational limitations on the girl-child. Quantitative data revealed that of the 36 respondents in the sub-sample of child-wives and former child-wives, 44.4% were in forced early marriages; 52.8% were completely dependent on their husbands financially and materially; none of them was in a legally registered marriage; 88.6% did not know the legal age for marriage in Cameroon; 85.7% said their husbands did not treat them as equals; 63.3% reported that they lacked decision-making rights in their marital homes; 94.1% had attempted school but all of them were currently dropouts as none was schooling while in marriage; 74.2% had ended school before the age of 15 years; 85.6% of them were illiterate and all expressed the willingness to return to school if given the opportunity. Furthermore, a significant 94.1% of this sample perceived early marriage as a violation of the human rights of the girl-child and above 90.0% indicated that they lacked happiness and fulfillment in their marriages. The theory of cultural pedogamy argues that cultural pedogamy results largely from several endo-ethnic-cultural factors which include cognitive cultural factors (cultural belief systems, cultural norms and values, and culture-determined perceptions), and sociocultural factors (socio-cultural expectations, cultural practices and traditional/cultural institutions). These cultural factors have developed through a cognitive causal sequence. The interaction between the cognitive endo-ethnic-cultural factors and between the cognitive and non-cognitive factors determines the strength of the practice and its endurance over time.

Differentials in girl-child marriage and high fertility in Nigeria.

In a patriarchal and natural fertility society like Nigeria, girl-child marriage is synonymous with early sexual debut and a prolonged childbearing period, ultimately affecting fertility outcomes and behaviours. This study explored the differentials in child marriage in Nigeria across socio-economic and regional groups, and its association with fertility. The study analysed secondary data pertaining to women aged 15-49 who were currently or previously married from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. About 54 percent of Nigerian women married before their eighteenth birthday. The prevalence of child marriage was high in the rural areas (61 percent), in the North West (78 percent) and the North East (70 percent) of Nigeria. Child-brides have higher fertility than women who entered marital life as adults (TFR 6.8 vs 5.9). The early entry into marriage by most women in Nigeria has a profound influence on overall fertility, given that an overwhelming majority of births in Nigeria take place within marriage. Through advocacy and social mobilization, families, communities, and religious leaders will understand the hazards of child marriage and their role and responsibility in eradicating it and empowering the girl-child through formal education.

Associations between child and adolescent marriage and reproductive outcomes in Brazil, Ecuador, the United States and Canada

BackgroundAlthough marriage is associated with favourable reproductive outcomes among adult women, it is not known whether the marriage advantage applies to girls (< 18 years). The contribution of girl child marriage (< 18 years) to perinatal health is understudied in the Americas.MethodsNational singleton birth registrations were used to estimate the prevalence of girl child marriage among mothers in Brazil (2011–2018, N = 23,117,661), Ecuador (2014–2018, N = 1,519,168), the USA (2014–2018, N = 18,618,283) and Canada (2008–2018, N = 3,907,610). The joint associations between marital status and maternal age groups (< 18, 18–19 and 20–24 years) with preterm birth (< 37 weeks), small-for-gestational age (SGA < 10 percentile) and repeat birth were assessed with logistic regression.ResultsThe proportion of births to < 18-year-old mothers was 9.9% in Ecuador, 8.9% in Brazil, 1.5% in the United States and 0.9% in Canada, and marriage prevalence among < 18-year-old mothers was 3.0%, 4.8%, 3.7% and 1.7%, respectively. In fully-adjusted models, marriage was associated with lower odds of preterm birth and SGA among 20–24-year-old mothers in the four countries. Compared to unmarried 20–24-year-old women, married and unmarried < 18-year-old girls had higher odds of preterm birth in the four countries, and slightly higher odds of SGA in Brazil and Ecuador but not in the USA and Canada. In comparisons within age groups, the odds of repeat birth among < 18-year-old married mothers exceeded that of their unmarried counterparts in Ecuador [AOR: 1.99, 95%CI: 1.82, 2.18], the USA [AOR: 2.96, 95%CI: 2.79, 3.14], and Canada [AOR: 2.17, 95%CI: 1.67, 2.82], although minimally in Brazil [AOR: 1.09, 95%CI: 1.07, 1.11].ConclusionsThe prevalence of births to < 18-year-old mothers varies considerably in the Americas. Girl child marriage was differentially associated with perinatal health indicators across countries, suggesting context-specific mechanisms.

Girl child marriage and its association with maternal healthcare services utilization in sub-Saharan Africa

BackgroundPrevious studies on child marriage have revealed its association with adverse health behaviors and outcomes, such as increased fertility, reduced modern family planning, less safe delivery, mental health disorders, suicidal attempt, and ideation, poor socio-economic status, morbidity, and mortality of children under- five. In this study, we investigate the association between child marriage and the utilization of maternal healthcare services in sub-Saharan Africa.MethodsWe utilized data from 29 sub-Saharan African countries’ Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 2010 and 2018. A total of 36,215 childbearing young women between the ages of 20-24 years constituted our sample size. A multilevel binary logistic regression analysis was carried out to examine the association between child marriage and the utilization of maternal healthcare services, and the results were presented as crude and adjusted odds ratios at 95% confidence interval.ResultsYoung women who experienced child marriage were less likely to have ≥4 antenatal care visits during pregnancy [cOR = 0.60, CI = 0.57-0.63] compared to those who did not experience child marriage, and this was persistent after controlling for individual and community-level factors [aOR = 0.88, CI = 0.84-0.93]. Young women who experienced child marriage were less likely to use skilled birth attendance during delivery [cOR = 0.45, CI = 0.43-0.48] compared to those who did not experience child marriage, and this was persistent after controlling for individual and community-level factors [aOR = 0.87, CI = 0.82-0.93]. Young women who experienced child marriage were less likely to use postnatal care services [cOR = 0.79, CI = 0.75-0.82] compared to those who did not experience child marriage, but this was insignificant after controlling for individual and community-level factors.ConclusionOur study found child marriage to be a major contributor to the low use of maternal healthcare services, including antenatal care visit and the use of skilled birth attendance during child delivery. Hence, there is a need to develop an intervention to address child marriage in sub-Saharan Africa and strengthen existing ones. In addition, framework that considers child marriage as a key determinant of maternal healthcare utilization must be developed as part of policies in sub-Saharan African countries to enable universal achievement of low maternal mortality ratio by 2030 as a target of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Armed conflicts and girl child marriages: A global evidence

Armed conflicts have profound socio-economic and developmental impacts on populations, far beyond direct deaths and injuries. Women and girls more often bear the indirect consequences of conflicts. During conflicts, marriage has been used as a ‘coping or protective mechanism’ to save young girls from physical and sexual exploitation, and also for consumption smoothing to sustain the household economy in difficult times. Previous studies on the relationship between ‘conflicts and girl child marriages’ are mostly localised and qualitative. For the first time, we provide global level empirical evidence of the association between ‘conflict events and girl child marriage rates’ using robust macro-level econometric analysis of multi-country panel data. The study uses data from multiple sources: Uppsala Conflict Data Program, Demographic Health Surveys, Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys and World Development Indicators for 217 countries for the period, 1989 to 2018. Our findings based on multiple econometric models demonstrate a consistent significant positive relationship between conflict events and girl child marriage rates. Our results showed an increase of 0.03 to 0.08 percent points in girl child marriage rates for each battle-related death per thousand. In conclusion, we advance that humanitarian actions in conflict settings must consider preventing child (or forced) marriages of girls, with pro-active policy priorities.

A mediation analysis of the role of girl child marriage in the relationship between proximity to conflict and past-year intimate partner violence in post-conflict Sri Lanka

BackgroundStudies from many contexts indicate that proximity to conflict is associated with increased likelihood of intimate partner violence (IPV), and girl child marriage is associated with both proximity to conflict and increased IPV. In this study, we consider whether girl child marriage acts as a mediator of the association between proximity to conflict and IPV in the context of Sri Lanka, which sustained long-term conflict until 2009.MethodsWe analyzed responses of currently partnered women between ages 18 and 49 in the 2016 Sri Lankan Demographic and Health Survey (N = 13,691). Using logistic regression analyses, we measured associations between proximity to conflict (residence in districts which were central, proximal, or distal to the regions where the war occurred) and the outcomes of IPV and girl child marriage, and secondarily assessed girl child marriage as a possible mediator of the association between proximity to conflict and past year IPV.ResultsWomen residing in districts central to conflict, as compared to districts distal to conflict, had increased odds of past year sexual, physical, and emotional IPV, with the odds of sexual IPV increasing the most (adjusted odds ratio/aOR 4.19, 95% confidence interval/CI 2.08–8.41). Residing in districts proximal to conflict compared to those distal to conflict was associated with lower odds of past year physical and emotional IPV, with the greatest decrease in emotional IPV (aOR 0.31, CI 0.18–0.54). Girl child marriage was more likely in districts central to conflict as opposed to those distal to conflict (aOR 1.89, CI 1.22–2.93), and partially mediated the relationship between centrality to conflict and IPV.ConclusionsOur findings demonstrate that residing in districts central to conflict compared to those distal to conflict is associated with greater odds of IPV and girl child marriage in post-conflict Sri Lanka, with girl child marriage partially mediating the association between centrality to conflict and IPV. Residence in districts proximal to conflict appears protective against IPV. Future research should investigate what factors are responsible for decreased IPV in districts proximal to violence, and whether these factors can be reproduced to mitigate the increased prevalence of IPV in districts central to conflict.

Association between female genital mutilation and girl-child marriage in sub-Saharan Africa.

Two commonly linked harmful practices that negatively impact the health of girls and women in sub-Saharan Africa, and threaten their development and quality of life, are female genital mutilation and girl-child marriage. The central focus of the study was to investigate the association between female genital mutilation and girl-child marriage in sub-Saharan Africa. Data from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys of twelve sub-Sahara African countries were pooled. A total of 14,748 women aged 20-24 were included in the study. A multilevel logistic regression analysis was employed, with reported adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The overall prevalence of FGM in the twelve countries was 52.19%, with the highest prevalence in Guinea (97.17%). The overall prevalence of girl-child marriage in the twelve countries was 57.96%, with the highest prevalence in Chad (78.06%). Women who had never experienced female genital mutilation were less likely to experience girl-child marriage (aOR=0.76, CI=0.71-0.82) compared with those who had ever experienced female genital mutilation. Age 24 (aOR=0.47, CI=0.43-0.52), secondary/higher level of education (aOR=0.31, CI=0.28-0.35), richest wealth quintile (aOR=0.56, CI=0.47-0.66), exposure to mass media (aOR=0.81, CI=0.74-0.88) medium community literacy level (aOR=0.63, CI=0.57-0.69) and low community socioeconomic status (aOR=0.67, CI=0.49-0.92) were found to be protective against girl-child marriage. The findings reveal that female genital mutilation is associated with girl-child marriage in sub-Saharan Africa. The continued practice will adversely affect the reproductive health outcomes of girls in the sub-region. Policies aimed at eliminating female genital mutilation and girl-child marriage should focus on compulsory basic education, poverty alleviation and increasing access to mass media. Further, campaigns should cover more communities with lower literacy levels and medium socioeconomic status.

Does Proximity to Conflict Zones Moderate Associations Between Girl Child Marriage, Intimate Partner Violence, and Contraception in Postconflict Sri Lanka?

Women’s primary contraceptive method type is impacted by the gender inequities of girl child marriage and intimate partner violence (IPV). Outside of South Asia, proximity to conflict zones has been found to impact contraceptive use, girl child marriage, and IPV, possibly moderating associations between these variables. We created multinomial regression models using the 2016 Demographic and Health Survey data from postconflict Sri Lanka to study associations between primary contraceptive method type (modern spacing methods, sterilization, and traditional methods compared to no method) and the gender inequities of girl child marriage and past year sexual, physical, and emotional IPV and to assess whether and how these associations were moderated by proximity to conflict. We found that proximity to conflict moderated the relationships between girl child marriage, past year physical and emotional IPV, and primary contraceptive method type. Girl child marriage was associated with increased relative risk (RR) of modern spacing methods (adjusted RR ratio/aRRR: 1.81–2.21) across all levels of proximity to conflict. In districts distal to conflict, past year physical IPV was associated with decreased RR of sterilization (aRRR: 0.67) and traditional methods (aRRR: 0.63), and past year emotional IPV was associated with decreased RR of traditional methods (aRRR: 0.71). In districts central to conflict, past year emotional IPV was associated with increased RR of modern spacing methods (aRRR: 1.50). Our findings suggest that policymakers and providers who seek to improve reproductive health in Sri Lanka must consider the moderating impact of proximity to conflict on the relationship between contraceptive use and the gender inequities of girl child marriage and IPV.

Exploring the Socioeconomic Factors Associated with Girl Child Marriage and its Impact on Pregnancy Outcomes: A Study from Malda District of West Bengal.

Background:Child marriage is not a new phenomenon in India. The prevalence of child marriage remains high in many districts of West Bengal.Objectives:The present study aims to address socioeconomic factors associated with girl child marriage and its effect on selected pregnancy outcomes among women in the Malda district of West Bengal.Methods:The study is based on primary data, collected from the Manikchak CD block by adopting a random sample survey technique. The participants in the study consisted of 357 ever married women aged 15–49 years.Results:Multivariate analysis revealed that the prevalence of child marriage was substantially higher among women who had no formal education resided in the marginalized family. Similarly, educated parents were less likely to marry their daughter at an early age. Besides, the likelihood of miscarried or stillbirth, complications during pregnancy and delivery were significantly higher among those married <18 years than those married at 18 years or later.Conclusions:The findings of this study suggest preventing child marriage by increasing opportunities for girls' education and employment. The targeted approach should be made among rural and poor girls to reduce the vulnerability of child marriage.

Profile Centric Community Awareness and Engagement for Adolescent Girls : An Empirical Study on Early Marriage in India

Early marriage is a pernicious practice traditionally observed even today in several countries, with a fifth of the global female population getting married by 18 years of age. The custom has far-reaching adverse effects on the girls’ physical, mental, and socioeconomic welfare and their future progeny. Therefore, it is critical to disseminate the right messages to the communities of girl children to deter them from letting their daughters marry early. A study was carried out in 2019 that involved the design, execution, and evaluation of a volunteer-driven technology-enabled communication intervention to emphasize the importance of education in securing a girl’s future and to discourage girl child marriage. Seven hundred and eight-six residents of the sub-district of Todaraisingh in Tonk, Rajasthan, participated in the study. A strong positive cognizance of the personalized communication was empirically confirmed. Furthermore, a high influence of cognitive response and sympathy towards the communication was found on the evaluative judgment of the participants that strongly influenced the intention to spread positive word of mouth and behavioral intention.