Child Marriage in Humanitarian Crises: Girls and Parents Speak Out on Risk and Protective Factors, Decision-Making, and Solutions

This report is produced by UC Berkeley’s Human Rights Center, in partnership with Save the Children and Plan International and with co-funding from Danida and the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) programme. It presents the findings of a study undertaken to provide humanitarian practitioners with youth-centered guidance on how to prevent and respond to child marriage in displacement settings. Additionally, a special report examines the impacts of COVID-19 on adolescent girls and marriage decision-making.

The study, which engaged 280 girls ages 14-17 and 67 parents and caregivers, used innovative methods, in addition to interviews, in order to give girls more ownership over the research and provide them with a variety of creative ways to express themselves and their opinions, thoughts, and ideas. Questions explored what puts girls at risk of child marriage, what protects them from it, how decisions around child marriage are made, and what NGOs can do to help prevent child marriages in their communities.

Suggested citation

Freccero, J. and Taylor, A. (2021) Child Marriage in Humanitarian Crises: Girls and Parents Speak Out on Risk and Protective Factors, Decision-Making, and Solutions. Report. Berkeley: Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School Of Law (https://www.gage.odi.org/publication/child-marriage-in-humanitarian-crises-girls-and-parents-speak-out-on-risk-and-protective-factors-decision-making-and-solutions/)