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