Under age marriage and education June 2015 Karnataka State conference on addressing barriers to secondary education for adolescent girls Dharwad unite for children

District-wise percent of ever married women ages 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 ( )

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 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