New book delves into the implications of child marriage

IDRC is committed to supporting research that contributes to the empowerment of women and girls by generating solutions to structural barriers such as the social norms and conditions that perpetuate child marriage. Ending child marriage is a priority issue under the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 5, which seeks to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls worldwide. This book offers fresh insights from IDRC-funded research and intervention projects to investigate different aspects of child marriage.

While the volume of information about child marriage is growing exponentially, there is a lack of comparative work that dissects how various aspects of child marriage are manifested in different settings. This book presents research from rural and urban areas in Bangladesh, Côte d’Ivoire, India, Mali, Niger, Pakistan, Peru, Senegal, Togo, and Zambia. The chapters explore themes such as the agency and roles of adolescent girls in marital decision-making, teenage motherhood, sexual and gender-based violence against children, and lessons learned from efforts to influence policies and implement programs to reduce child marriage.

The book is designed to appeal to policymakers in their national contexts and to resonate with other actors who are committed to supporting and empowering marginalized children and young people everywhere. 

Read Dreaming of a Better Life: Child Marriage Through Adolescent Eyes