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Associations Between Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting And Early/Child Marriage: A Multi-Country Dhs/Mics Analysis, Jamlick Karumbi, David Gathara Jan 2020

Associations Between Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting And Early/Child Marriage: A Multi-Country Dhs/Mics Analysis, Jamlick Karumbi, David Gathara

Reproductive Health

Over the last several decades, global efforts to end female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) have intensified through the combined efforts of international and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), governments, and religious and civil society groups. Evidence of the wider impacts of FGM/C and interventions for its abandonment is small but emerging. The practice of FGM/C has frequently been linked to a girl’s marriageability and is thought to be associated with child marriage, either directly, as a cause of early/child marriage, or vice versa, or indirectly, resulting from common causes. Evidence of the relationships between these two practices to inform programming and policy for …


Fgm/C And Ecm: Drawing Lessons From Research, Jacinta Muteshi-Strachan Jan 2019

Fgm/C And Ecm: Drawing Lessons From Research, Jacinta Muteshi-Strachan

Reproductive Health

No abstract provided.


More Than Brides Alliance: Midline Evaluation Report, Andrea J. Melnikas, Grace Saul, Santosh Kumar Singh, James Mkandawire, Mouhamadou Gueye, Aissa Diarra, Sajeda Amin Jan 2019

More Than Brides Alliance: Midline Evaluation Report, Andrea J. Melnikas, Grace Saul, Santosh Kumar Singh, James Mkandawire, Mouhamadou Gueye, Aissa Diarra, Sajeda Amin

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The More than Brides Alliance (MTBA) was formed to bringing together the strengths of a diverse team skilled in adolescent program implementation and research. The goal of the research presented in this report is to promote an evidence-based programmatic approach to delaying marriage in India, Malawi, Mali, Niger, and Pakistan by gathering detailed quantitative and qualitative information from the program areas over time to examine the impact of the present intervention and inform future strategies. This report highlights data from the midline survey on a set of outcomes approximately midway through the MTBA intervention and compares them with the same …


« More Than Brides Alliance (Mtba) » : Rapport D’Évaluation À Mi-Parcours Au Mali Et Au Niger, Andrea J. Melnikas, Grace Saul, Mouhamadou Gueye, Aissa Diarra, Sajeda Amin Jan 2019

« More Than Brides Alliance (Mtba) » : Rapport D’Évaluation À Mi-Parcours Au Mali Et Au Niger, Andrea J. Melnikas, Grace Saul, Mouhamadou Gueye, Aissa Diarra, Sajeda Amin

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

L’Alliance « Plus qu’une épouse » (More Than Brides Alliance—MTBA) a été formée, rassemblant les forces d’une équipe diversifiée, compétente pour la mise en œuvre et la recherche de programmes destinés aux adolescents. Le volet recherche de l’Alliance MTBA vise à fournir des preuves et des connaissances sur ce qui fonctionne pour retarder le mariage des enfants en Inde, au Malawi, au Mali, au Niger et au Pakistan en évaluant le programme d’intervention de l’Alliance MTBA et en examinant les facteurs spécifiques du mariage des enfants dans chaque contexte. Dans ce rapport, nous visons à évaluer les succès du programme …


Forced Child Unions: From Legal Reform To Social Disruption—Formative Research In Five Communities In Chisec, Alta Verapaz, Paola Broll, Cecilia Garcés Jan 2018

Forced Child Unions: From Legal Reform To Social Disruption—Formative Research In Five Communities In Chisec, Alta Verapaz, Paola Broll, Cecilia Garcés

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Evidence has shown that child early and forced marriage/unions (CEFM/U) are harmful to the rights and development of girls and adolescents. It has also shown that increasing the minimum marriage age is not enough to eradicate this phenomenon because of the underlying practices of social institutions at the community level. This report details an investigation undertaken when a modification to the Civil Code was approved, then modified, in order to increase the minimum age of marriage in Guatemala. The investigation aimed to identify the norms, practices, and attitudes prevailing in the school, family, religion, government, and economy with regard to …


Las Uniones Infantiles Forzadas: De La Reforma Legal A La Disrupción Social—Investigación Formativa En Cinco Comunidades En Chisec Alta Verapaz, Paola Broll, Cecilia Garcés Jan 2018

Las Uniones Infantiles Forzadas: De La Reforma Legal A La Disrupción Social—Investigación Formativa En Cinco Comunidades En Chisec Alta Verapaz, Paola Broll, Cecilia Garcés

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

La evidencia ha demostrado que el matrimonio y las uniones infantiles forzadas (M/UIF) son nocivos a los derechos y el desarrollo de las niñas y adolescentes. También se ha demostrado que aumentar la edad mínima del matrimonio no es suficiente para erradicar este fenómeno que subyace en la práctica de las instituciones sociales a nivel comunitario. Se ha realizada esta investigación en el momento en que se aprobó la modificación al Código Civil, seguido de una modificación para aumentar la edad mínima para el matrimonio en Guatemala, con el propósito de identificar las normas, prácticas, y actitudes vigentes en la …


Expanding Access To Integrated Family Planning Intervention Packages For Married Adolescent Girls In Urban Slums Of Dhaka, Bangladesh, Fauzia Akhter Huda, Hassan Rushekh Mahmood, Sadia Afrin, Anisuddin Ahmed, Nafis Al Haque, Bidhan Krishna Sarker Jan 2017

Expanding Access To Integrated Family Planning Intervention Packages For Married Adolescent Girls In Urban Slums Of Dhaka, Bangladesh, Fauzia Akhter Huda, Hassan Rushekh Mahmood, Sadia Afrin, Anisuddin Ahmed, Nafis Al Haque, Bidhan Krishna Sarker

Reproductive Health

This research report describes an intervention study conducted among married adolescent girls aged 15–19 years in four urban slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Objectives of the study were to examine the acceptability and feasibility of forming married adolescent girls’ clubs, and involving community health volunteers (Shasthya Skebikas) and marriage registrars to increase access to family planning (FP) information and services, to promote the uptake of long-acting reversible contraceptive methods, and to provide FP information to newlywed couples at the time of marriage registration. The study findings revealed that a noteworthy number of married adolescent girls received FP-related information, mostly from the …


Reproductive Health Needs Of Married Girls In Assuit And Sohag Governorates [Arabic], Population Council Jan 2015

Reproductive Health Needs Of Married Girls In Assuit And Sohag Governorates [Arabic], Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

No abstract provided.


Berhane Hewan ('Light For Eve'): Increasing Opportunities To Delay Marriage And Promote Schooling, Annabel Erulkar, Eunice N. Muthengi Jan 2012

Berhane Hewan ('Light For Eve'): Increasing Opportunities To Delay Marriage And Promote Schooling, Annabel Erulkar, Eunice N. Muthengi

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This policy brief describes the findings of a pilot study on girls’ experience of early marriage, education, and sexual behavior in rural Amhara Region, Ethiopia. The brief also discusses efforts in the region to delay marriage and promote girls’ schooling. The Amhara Bureau of Women, Children and Youth Affairs and the Population Council pilot-tested a program to delay marriage and support schooling in rural Amhara Region. The program, entitled Berhane Hewan (Amharic for “Light for Eve”), included community conversations, support for remaining in school, and conditional cash transfers if girls remained unmarried and in school for the duration of the …


Increasing Opportunities To Delay Marriage And Promote Schooling: Results From A Baseline Survey In Rural Tanzania, Eunice N. Muthengi, Annabel Erulkar Jan 2012

Increasing Opportunities To Delay Marriage And Promote Schooling: Results From A Baseline Survey In Rural Tanzania, Eunice N. Muthengi, Annabel Erulkar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This research brief describes girls' experience of early marriage, education, and sexual behavior in the Tabora region of Tanzania. Research shows that a considerable proportion of girls married early, have only limited discussions on health issues with their spouses, experience intimate partner violence, and have high unmet need for family planning. Tabora Development Foundation Trust, in partnership with the Population Council, is implementing strategies—including community awareness, support to get girls back into school and keep them there, and conditional transfers—to increase marriage age in the rural Tabora region. The goal is to identify effective, sustainable, and cost-effective approaches to increase …


Retarder Le Mariage Précoce Chez Les Filles Défavorisées En Milieu Rural Dans La Région Amhara, En Éthiopie, Grâce Au Soutien Social, À L'Éducation Et À La Sensibilisation Des Communautés, Eunice N. Muthengi, Annabel Erulkar Jan 2011

Retarder Le Mariage Précoce Chez Les Filles Défavorisées En Milieu Rural Dans La Région Amhara, En Éthiopie, Grâce Au Soutien Social, À L'Éducation Et À La Sensibilisation Des Communautés, Eunice N. Muthengi, Annabel Erulkar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

L'Éthiopie affiche des taux extrêmement élevés de mariage d'enfants et une épidémie de VIH qui touche les femmes de façon disproportionnée. Dans la région rurale d'Amhara, 50% des filles sont mariées avant l’âge de 15 ans et plus de 80% sont mariées avant l’âge de 18 ans. Les chercheurs ont réalisé une enquête auprès de plus de 1800 adolescentes dans la région d'Amhara. Sur la base des conclusions, en 2004, le Bureau Régional de la Jeunesse et des Sports d'Amhara et le Population Council ont créé le projet Berhane Hewan («Light for Eve»). L'objectif de Berhane Hewan est la mise …


Les Coûts Du Mariage—Les Transactions Matrimoniales Dans Le Monde En Développement, Sajeda Amin, Ashish Bajracharya Jan 2011

Les Coûts Du Mariage—Les Transactions Matrimoniales Dans Le Monde En Développement, Sajeda Amin, Ashish Bajracharya

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Au cours des deux dernières décennies, le Population Council a receuilli une multitude d'informations sur les causes et les corrélats du mariage des enfants et documenté ses effets néfastes sur le bien-être des femmes et des filles. Dans de nombreuses régions du monde en développement, la compréhension du mariage des enfants est au coeur de la conception de programmes qui favorisent des transitions saines vers l'âge adulte. Les travaux de recherche du Population Council soulignent également l'importance des rituels et des pratiques d'échange matrimoniales dans le monde et éclairent les différences considérables entre ces pratiques. Promouvoir des transitions vers l'âge …


Programs To Address Child Marriage: Framing The Problem, Sajeda Amin Jan 2011

Programs To Address Child Marriage: Framing The Problem, Sajeda Amin

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Eradicating child marriage has long been on the agenda of the United Nations and of individual countries. Indeed, all countries where child marriage occurs are signatories to international charters and covenants that discourage the practice. Despite these agreements, marriage before age 18—often without the young bride’s consent—persists. Population Council researchers are seeking to prevent child marriage and support married girls in several countries, including Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Nigeria, and Vietnam. Programs include expanding opportunities (education, livelihoods) for girls, especially those most at risk of early marriage, and working directly with gatekeepers to remove barriers that …


Supporting Married Girls: Calling Attention To A Neglected Group, K.G. Santhya, Annabel Erulkar Jan 2011

Supporting Married Girls: Calling Attention To A Neglected Group, K.G. Santhya, Annabel Erulkar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In the next ten years, if current patterns continue, more than 100 million girls will marry before the age of 18, according to Population Council analyses of United Nations country data. Child marriage—any marriage that occurs before age 18—is considered a human rights violation by international convention. Marriage transforms virtually all aspects of girls’ lives. Typically, girls who marry are moved from their familial home and village, lose contact with friends, initiate sexual activity with someone they barely know, and soon become mothers. In Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, and elsewhere, the Council is undertaking research to better understand …


Les Programmes De Lutte Contre Le Mariage Des Enfants : Cerner Le Problème, Sajeda Amin Jan 2011

Les Programmes De Lutte Contre Le Mariage Des Enfants : Cerner Le Problème, Sajeda Amin

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

L'élimination du mariage des enfants est à l'ordre du jour des Nations unies et des pays individuels depuis fort longtemps. En effet, tous les pays où le mariage des enfants se produit sont signataires de chartes et pactes internationaux qui en découragent la pratique. Malgré ces accords, le mariage avant l’âge de 18 ans persiste et souvent sans le consentement de la jeune mariée. Les chercheurs du Population Council ont pour objectif d’empêcher le mariage des enfants et de soutenir les filles mariées dans plusieurs pays, dont le Bangladesh, le Burkina Faso, l’Égypte, l’Éthiopie, le Guatemala, l’Inde, le Kenya, le …


Addressing The Needs Of Girls At Risk Of Early Marriage And Married Adolescent Girls In Burkina Faso, Sarah Engebretsen, Gisele Kaboré Jan 2011

Addressing The Needs Of Girls At Risk Of Early Marriage And Married Adolescent Girls In Burkina Faso, Sarah Engebretsen, Gisele Kaboré

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Early marriage occurs frequently in rural areas of Burkina Faso and curtails girls' ability to complete their education and fulfill their potential. Once married, girls tend to be less mobile and have limited social networks compared to unmarried girls, and married girls are expected to begin childbearing almost immediately. Given their young age, pregnant adolescents may be at risk of complications during childbirth. Despite the large number of married girls and girls at risk of early marriage in Burkina Faso’s rural areas, few programs address the issue of early marriage directly. Furthermore, the country lacks services tailored to their needs. …


Empowering Adolescent Girls In Rural Bangladesh: Kishori Abhijan, Sajeda Amin Jan 2011

Empowering Adolescent Girls In Rural Bangladesh: Kishori Abhijan, Sajeda Amin

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In 2001, UNICEF initiated a pilot intervention to test whether livelihoods opportunities could ameliorate early marriage and other adverse outcomes for girls in rural Bangladesh. Kishori Abhijan (“Adolescent Girls’ Adventure”) aimed to lower school dropout rates, increase girls’ independent economic activity, and raise the age at which girls marry. Life-skills training consisted of enhancing self-esteem and leadership skills and providing education related to gender roles and discrimination, health and nutrition, and legislation and legal rights, particularly early marriage and girls’ and women’s rights. Livelihoods training included vocational skills. As noted in Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief …


Delaying Early Marriage Among Disadvantaged Rural Girls In Amhara, Ethiopia, Through Social Support, Education, And Community Awareness, Eunice N. Muthengi, Annabel Erulkar Jan 2011

Delaying Early Marriage Among Disadvantaged Rural Girls In Amhara, Ethiopia, Through Social Support, Education, And Community Awareness, Eunice N. Muthengi, Annabel Erulkar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Ethiopia has extremely high rates of child marriage and an HIV epidemic that disproportionately affects females. In the rural Amhara region, 50 percent of girls are married by age 15 and 80 percent are married by age 18. Researchers conducted a survey of more than 1,800 adolescents in the Amhara Region. Based on the findings, in 2004 the Amhara Regional Bureau of Youth and Sports and the Population Council created the Berhane Hewan (“Light for Eve”) project. Berhane Hewan’s goal is to establish effective mechanisms to protect girls at risk of early marriage and to support adolescent girls who are …


Costs Of Marriage—Marriage Transactions In The Developing World, Sajeda Amin, Ashish Bajracharya Jan 2011

Costs Of Marriage—Marriage Transactions In The Developing World, Sajeda Amin, Ashish Bajracharya

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Over the past two decades the Population Council has amassed a wealth of information on the causes and correlates of child marriage and documented its adverse effects on the well-being of women and girls. In many parts of the developing world, understanding child marriage is central to designing programs that promote healthy transitions to adulthood. Council research also underscores the importance of rituals and practices of marriage exchange around the globe and documents the considerable variation in these practices. Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 35 synthesizes some broad themes that have emerged from research on …


Répondre Aux Besoins Des Jeunes Filles À Risque De Mariage Précoce Et Des Adolescentes Mariées Au Burkina Faso, Sarah Engebretsen, Gisele Kaboré Jan 2011

Répondre Aux Besoins Des Jeunes Filles À Risque De Mariage Précoce Et Des Adolescentes Mariées Au Burkina Faso, Sarah Engebretsen, Gisele Kaboré

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Le mariage précoce se produit fréquemment dans les zones rurales du Burkina Faso et limite la capacité des filles à terminer leur scolarité et à réaliser leur potentiel. Une fois mariées, les filles ont tendance à être moins libres de leurs mouvements et ont des réseaux sociaux limités par rapport aux filles célibataires, et les filles mariées devraient commencer à avoir des enfants presque immédiatement. Compte tenu de leur jeune âge, les adolescentes enceintes peuvent courent également risque de souffrir de complications pendant l'accouchement. Malgré le nombre important de jeunes filles mariées et des filles à risque de mariage précoce …


When Girls' Lives Matter: Ending Forced And Early Marriage In Cameroon, Sajeda Amin, Andrea Lynch Jan 2011

When Girls' Lives Matter: Ending Forced And Early Marriage In Cameroon, Sajeda Amin, Andrea Lynch

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The program presented in this case study, the Association for the Struggle Against Violence Against Women (ALVF, from its name in French) in Cameroon, provides counseling, language and literacy training, economic support, and empowerment activities for girls who have fled (or been thrown out of) early or forced marriages to help them overcome their adversities. ALVF also seeks to bring about broader social change by highlighting in the public sphere—as well as among parents and husbands—the plight of girls who were married early and/or by force. Hence, ALVF’s prevention strategy is based on a broad understanding of the perceptions, expectations, …


Poverty, Marriage Timing, And Transitions To Adulthood In Nepal: A Longitudinal Analysis Using The Nepal Living Standards Survey, Ashish Bajracharya, Sajeda Amin Jan 2010

Poverty, Marriage Timing, And Transitions To Adulthood In Nepal: A Longitudinal Analysis Using The Nepal Living Standards Survey, Ashish Bajracharya, Sajeda Amin

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This working paper examines the influence of household poverty experienced during early childhood on early marriage and outcomes in schooling and workforce participation during adolescence for girls in Nepal. Much of the evidence concerning these relationships is drawn from cross-sectional data that cannot be used, and has not been able, to address causality. This Population Council study uses longitudinal data from the Nepal Living Standards Survey (NLSS), a two-wave panel in which the waves were conducted eight years apart to address these questions. Analyzing the data by household-wealth quintiles reveals surprisingly nonlinear results indicating that these associations are largest for …


Building Programs To Address Child Marriage: The Berhane Hewan Experience In Ethiopia, Eunice N. Muthengi, Annabel Erulkar Jan 2010

Building Programs To Address Child Marriage: The Berhane Hewan Experience In Ethiopia, Eunice N. Muthengi, Annabel Erulkar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The development of a context-appropriate program to delay marriage in rural Ethiopia took place over many years and in stages. The program that ultimately became known as “Berhane Hewan” was developed by building an evidence base of understanding on the populations being served and developing partnerships between the Population Council and like-minded agencies with complementary expertise. The Berhane Hewan pilot demonstrated that significant impacts can be made on the social, educational, and health status of adolescent girls in a short period of time, through well designed and implemented support programs. However, high levels of exposure to all project components, make …


L'Adolescence Des Filles Au Burkina Faso: Une Clé De Voûte Pour Le Changement Social, Martha Brady, Lydia Saloucou, Erica Chong Jan 2010

L'Adolescence Des Filles Au Burkina Faso: Une Clé De Voûte Pour Le Changement Social, Martha Brady, Lydia Saloucou, Erica Chong

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Although a number of innovative programs have been created to meet their needs, Burkinabé adolescent girls continue to face many threats to their well-being. They still need considerable support and opportunities to improve their social and economic status and health status. This report, using a number of data sources, including Population Council studies and programs, and the Demographic and Health Survey of Burkina Faso, aims to provide a general overview of these young girls’ adolescence—the realities of life and the policy and program initiatives designed for them. The Population Council hopes that this report will make a significant contribution to …


Etude Quantitative Sur Le Mariage Précoce Et Le Vécu Des Adolescentes Dans La Zone D'Intervention Du Projet: Etat Des Lieux Et Perspectives, Gisele Kaboré, Rene Dala, Aristide R. Bado Jan 2009

Etude Quantitative Sur Le Mariage Précoce Et Le Vécu Des Adolescentes Dans La Zone D'Intervention Du Projet: Etat Des Lieux Et Perspectives, Gisele Kaboré, Rene Dala, Aristide R. Bado

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

L’étude sur le mariage précoce s’est déroulée dans cinq régions du Burkina Faso. Elle avait pour objectif général d’étudier les connaissances, les attitudes, les pratiques et les perceptions du mariage précoce ainsi que le vécu des adolescentes mariées ou non en vue d’orienter les actions du projet. L’analyse des résultats de l’étude montre que la situation des adolescentes n’est pas reluisante. L’ampleur du mariage précoce dans la zone d’étude montre bien que le problème est toujours d’actualité. Au regard des résultats qui découlent de l’étude, les recommandations suivantes peuvent être formulées afin de contribuer à améliorer la situation des adolescentes: …


Cartographie Sociale Des Espaces De Rencontres Des Adolescentes Mariées Ou Non Dans La Zone D'Intervention Du Projet, Gisele Kaboré, Abdoulaye Semde, Lanko Some Jan 2009

Cartographie Sociale Des Espaces De Rencontres Des Adolescentes Mariées Ou Non Dans La Zone D'Intervention Du Projet, Gisele Kaboré, Abdoulaye Semde, Lanko Some

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

L’étude sur la cartographie sociale des espaces de rencontres des adolescentes mariées ou non dans les zones d’intervention du projet « Éliminer le mariage des enfants au Burkina : un plan pour la protection, le renforcement et l’action communautaire » s’est déroulée dans les 24 sites du projet. Elle a permis de recenser dans les différentes localités en plus des structures publiques, des groupements, des associations, des ONG et projets, des radios, et des espaces de rencontre des adolescents. Des recommendations formulées pour l’atteinte des objectifs du projet comprennent: la création des espaces de rencontre des adolescent(e)s, la promotion des …


Etude Qualitative Sur Le Mariage Précoce Des Adolescentes: Leur Vécu, Leurs Besoins En Matière D'Éducation, De Santé De La Reproduction Et D'Opportunités Socio-Économiques, Gisele Kaboré Jan 2009

Etude Qualitative Sur Le Mariage Précoce Des Adolescentes: Leur Vécu, Leurs Besoins En Matière D'Éducation, De Santé De La Reproduction Et D'Opportunités Socio-Économiques, Gisele Kaboré

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

La présente étude sur le mariage précoce des adolescentes à été commanditée par l’UNFPA en collaboration avec l’UNICEF et le Ministère de l’Action Sociale dans le cadre du projet « Éliminer le mariage des enfants au Burkina : un plan pour la protection, le renforcement et l’action communautaire ». Elle vise à fournir des informations relatives à la pratique du mariage précoce sur les zones d’intervention du projet, afin de faciliter les interventions visant à améliorer les conditions de vie des adolescentes mariées ou non. Il s’agissait d’analyser le contexte socioculturel du mariage des adolescentes ainsi que leur vécu et …


Evaluation Of The Long-Term Impact Of The Tostan Programme On The Abandonment Of Fgm/C And Early Marriage: Results From A Qualitative Study In Senegal, Nafissatou J. Diop, Amadou Moreau, Helene Benga Jan 2008

Evaluation Of The Long-Term Impact Of The Tostan Programme On The Abandonment Of Fgm/C And Early Marriage: Results From A Qualitative Study In Senegal, Nafissatou J. Diop, Amadou Moreau, Helene Benga

Reproductive Health

In 1998–99, a village empowerment program was implemented in the Thiès/Fatick and Kolda regions of Senegal by the nongovernmental organization Tostan, to mobilize communities to hold public declarations in support of abandoning harmful traditional practices, including female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and child marriage. The information presented in this report indicates that many did end the practices following a public declaration, however, the lack of follow-up in the field and the absence of support mechanisms pose a large obstacle. Nevertheless, the program achieved significant results: knowledge of life skills resulting in positive changes and a shift in the perception of FGM/C …


Reforming Marriage Practices In Bangladesh, Sajeda Amin Jan 2008

Reforming Marriage Practices In Bangladesh, Sajeda Amin

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Marriage customs in Bangladesh vary by region complicating national-level efforts to eliminate some of the more harmful practices, such as early marriage and dowry demands, that undermine the status of women. Efforts to reform marriage must consider economic concerns, social traditions, and social activism. Early marriage—often involving girls as young as 10—has been widely recognized in Bangladesh and elsewhere as a human rights offense. The current legal age at marriage is 18 for women and 21 for men, yet age restrictions are difficult to enforce because Bangladesh lacks an official birth registration system that can verify age. By studying the …


Evaluation Of Berhane Hewan: A Pilot Program To Promote Education And Delay Marriage In Rural Ethiopia, Annabel Erulkar, Eunice N. Muthengi Jan 2008

Evaluation Of Berhane Hewan: A Pilot Program To Promote Education And Delay Marriage In Rural Ethiopia, Annabel Erulkar, Eunice N. Muthengi

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Berhane Hewan Program pilot-tested in rural Ethiopia from 2004–06 was developed to sensitize community members to the dangers of child marriage, prevent early marriage among unmarried adolescents, and provide support for girls who are already married. The program included social mobilization of girls aged 10–19 into groups led by female mentors; support to stay in school or convening of groups outside of school including nonformal education and livelihoods skills; and community-wide conversations on early marriage and reproductive health issues affecting girls. Economic incentives were provided to families who did not marry off their daughters during the project period. Population-based …