This year our annual State of the World’s Girls report is focused on girls’ experience of child marriage: a practice that despite large-scale policy action and legislative reform, remains widespread. The study comes from the experiences of survivors of child marriage – in their own words. It tells us that, at a time when there is a global pushback against girls’ and women’s rights, confronting the persistent rights violation that is child marriage is increasingly urgent.
The research is based on in-depth detailed conversations with 251 girls and young women – all of whom are, or had been, married or in a union – across 15 countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Nepal, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Ecuador, Nigeria, Niger, and Togo.
We not only talked to girls with direct personal experience of child marriage we also conducted an online survey with 244 young child marriage activists from the same countries. Their perspectives include targeted suggestions for change.
Additionally, to ground these insights into a broader legal context we worked with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), leveraging its Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) to analyse existing legislation and policy frameworks in order to understand what support was needed to protect girls’ rights and promote their wellbeing.
Download the Executive Summary (PDF 2MB).
The State of the World’s Girls is a series of research reports released every year for the International Day of the Girl.
This year’s State of the World’s Girls Report focuses on the experiences
of young people whose lives are dominated by conflict.
The 2023 State of the World’s Girls report is focused on girls’ and young women’s activism.
