Asia Child Marriage Initiative: Summary of Research in Bangladesh, India and Nepal

"Awareness of the legalities of child marriage - it's outlawed in most countries around the world - has little bearing on behaviour because customary laws, social norms and poverty-driven economic needs often trump national policies and legislation."

Noting that, in South Asia, 46% of children are married formally or are in an informal union before they are 18, the Plan Asia Regional Office asked the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) to carry out a qualitative study designed to help understand the scope of this human rights violation in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

As detailed here (and as can be seen in the Related Summaries section below, related to Plan's work globally), Plan's programmes in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal address the problem of child marriage in different ways. For example, Plan India's goal is to improve knowledge, attitudes, and practices with regard to child marriage and to track the percentage of child marriages in its working areas. Plan Nepal sees child marriage as an aspect of gender-based violence and aims to build the capacity and commitment of children, their families, and communities to eliminate the practice.

The current study is based on primary qualitative data gathered from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with girls and boys, parents, community leaders, and government officials. One finding: "Plan promotes children's organisations and participation in creating awareness about social issues including child marriage. Children reported increased knowledge and confidence as a result of participation in these forums; participation has also taught them about their rights and how to negotiate with adults in this regard." Furthermore, "Plan engages community leaders to bring about a change in norms around age at marriage; this approach holds much potential for fostering social change. An important contribution of Plan has been spreading awareness about the problem of child marriage and its negative consequences, as well as linking the issue to the violation of child rights. In the case of India, Plan supports a bridge programme to facilitate girls' transition to the formal education system. Expanding opportunities and roles for women makes it meaningful for parents to invest in their daughter's education. Plan employs young women as teachers in their child development centres and thus supports new avenues and aspirations for women."

To cite one specific strategy: The study identified cases of young girls and parents who could be seen as cases of positive deviance (PD) and role models in their communities because of their position against child marriage. These role models were found both in Plan's programme and non-programme areas. "Parents who delayed their daughter's marriage in the face of social pressures did so because they did not want a marriage before the girl had completed at least high school or university. Clearly, these role model parents have internalised the value of education. In addition, many of them felt that marrying a girl early was detrimental to her physical and psychological health. Young girls identified as role models often had to resist parental pressure for an early marriage. These girls held the conviction that they did not want an early marriage and their response to pressure from their parents ranged from confrontation to negotiation. In all these cases, the girls were finally able to bring their parents around to share their point of view. Girls in this category did not subscribe to traditional gender roles and aspired to higher education, employment and economic independence. Most of the role model girls had to face significant parental and social pressure. Other girls in the community look up to these girls, and they are cited as examples by younger girls who want to follow suit."

The report concludes with recommendations for programming; in sum:

• Develop systems for regular engagement with parents - e.g., by strengthening community-based organisations (CBOs) and developing systems for them to engage regularly with the families in their community.
• Engage with male members of the family - e.g., by training boys as peer educators for advocacy of later marriage. ("Many respondents said that parents are more likely to listen to sons than to daughters.")
• Use mass media to spread the campaign in the community - "Several respondents mentioned that television shows had increased their awareness about the negative consequences of child marriage....Emphasise respect for the decisions of boys and girls to remain unmarried as long as they wish, rather than stigmatising the unmarried ones."
• Strengthen capacities to empower girls and boys by, for example, ensuring that they have access to information and the confidence to express themselves to family, especially to adult males.
• Identify, nurture, and promote role models - "Parents and young girls are increasingly recognising the value of education and the better quality of life that this can enable. At the same time, they continue to believe in social norms for early marriage and the traditional role for women as home-makers. It is seen that if the parents and the girls have alternative aspirations about their future, they are more likely to invest in education and delay marriage. Aspirations in turn are a function of the family's exposure to possibilities. Exposing young girls and their families to potential opportunities and roles for women outside the house expands their worldview. Role models in communities need to be identified, nurtured and promoted in ways that do not put them in danger in their particular social and political context. Plan Bangladesh is already doing this on a small scale and has developed films and other promotional material on young women who have challenged traditional roles and social norms. Films and music that celebrate these women will inspire other families to take alternate paths."
• Develop specific programmes and mitigation efforts for married children - e.g., via outreach services in sexual and reproductive health, as well as life skills and vocational training programmes and support groups for young brides and mothers.
• Promote livelihood programmes for women and girls.
• Make greater efforts to reach the economically poorest and most excluded families.
• Make elimination of child marriage a primary objective - e.g., by including indicators on child marriage in programme planning and design.
• Promote the safety of girls - e.g., through Plan India's Kishori Prerna Manch, where adolescent girls come together to discuss issues of common concern. Similarly, children's club respondents in Bangladesh indicated that they discuss "eve-teasing" and the fear it causes.
• Implement demonstration projects.
• Find champions among religious leaders.

Policy recommendations follow. One example: "Launch public education campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of child marriage legislation, the details of legislation and the punishments for breaking laws. Local media can play a very critical role in raising awareness, and media and civil society can act as watchdogs, reporting cases of non-compliance to exert pressure on the government and law enforcement agencies to act in accordance with legislation."

Areas for future research include questions such as why some married women continue to study after getting married and sometimes even after having a child. "There were more such instances among women in Bangladesh than in the other two countries. It would be useful to understand this phenomenon and examine the role of different persons involved, such as the parents-in-law, the husband and the young woman herself."