Description
In one of the largest studies of its kind, we spoke to more than 250 girls aged 15 to 24 who married as children, as well as girl activists working to eradicate child marriage.
The research is based on in-depth detailed conversations with those girls and young women across 15 countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Nepal, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Ecuador, Nigeria, Niger, and Togo.
Together, their experiences give a unique window into married girls’ everyday lives, the harms child marriage can cause for girls and their communities, and what needs to be done to eradicate it.
As the girls taking part in the study talk to us, we begin to understand the price they are paying: we hear about their relationships with husbands and in-laws, often characterised by violence, about the domestic drudgery of their daily lives, the difficulty of staying in school, the loss of control over all aspects of their lives, including if and when to have children.
For numerous girls, policy and legal reforms restricting child marriage have meant very little – many are still trapped. With much of the emphasis around child marriage focused on stopping it, girls, once married or in a relationship, tend to disappear. They mustn’t be allowed to.
By standing with them, together, we can break down the deep-rooted beliefs and social norms that lead to child marriage, so that all girls choose their own future.
Source
https://plan-international.org/publications/girls-experiences-child-marriage
Language
English
