Under age marriage and
education
20 -21 June 2015Karnataka State conference on addressing
barriers to secondary education for adolescent girls
Dharwadunite for children
District-wise percent of ever married women ages 15-19 years, India
2
Drivers of high prevalence of child marriage
Widely accepted and sanctioned social norm Poverty, high wedding costs and other
economic considerations Lack of easy access to schooling, especially
at secondary level Gender prescriptions and norms; lack of girls’
agency Castes and other vested interest groups Political patronage making the enforcement
agencies weak
Wealth quintiles and the incidence of child marriage DLHS3 (2007-08)
Drivers of change in child marriage
Access to safe and affordable secondary education
Empowerment of girls and engaging with men and boys
Incentivise the change and disincentivisethe practice (social protection)
Agenda building and influencing public opinion
Consistent laws and stricter enforcement
Education decreases child marriage
Strategies to reduce child marriage
Empower girls with information, skills, and support networks;
Educate and mobilise parents and community members;
Enhance the accessibility and quality of formal schooling for girls;
Offer economic support and incentives for girls and their families;
Foster an enabling legal and policy framework.
Ever married women 15-19 years old
Z-curve trend
Adapt strategies to types and stages of child marriage prevalence
Highest education attained by married girls (all India)
12
Students by type and state
12
13
Scale-up strategies
13
Strengthen access to safe and affordable secondary education
15