Re-IMAGINE: Delaying marriage and childbirth to improve adolescent girls’ agency and opportunity in Niger
Child, early, and forced marriage (child marriage) and its life-long consequences reflect and reinforce discrimination against women This practice disproportionately affects girls globally, putting them at increased risk of violence and early pregnancy and its associated risks, and denying them access to education and economic opportunities. One in five girls in the world is married before 18, driven by inequitable norms that devalue girls and women and, in some cases, unjust laws and policies, limiting girls’ agency, opportunity, and ability to thrive. CARE works to end child marriage by empowering girls to assert their rights, mobilizing families and communities to support them, and influencing policies to protect them.
Girls in Niger experience the world’s highest rates of child marriage and adolescent pregnancy and have the highest fertility rate in the world. These statistics, combined with some of the lowest levels of secondary education in Sub-Saharan Africa, perpetuate the high rates of child marriage and early and frequent childbearing. Child marriage and early childbearing drive high levels of maternal mortality and morbidity among young girls, limits their educational opportunities, and places them at a higher risk of violence.
Evidence from CARE programs and other interventions shows that addressing child marriage at scale requires multi-component, multi-level, and multisectoral interventions. CARE works holistically with adolescent girls to enhance their ability to make informed choices about their futures. It engages men, boys, and community leaders to shift harmful social norms that hinder opportunities for girls and women. Additionally, CARE builds financial skills and livelihood opportunities for women and girls to expand economic pathways beyond marriage. CARE addresses the intersectional reasons girls are forced into marriage young – improving education, health, and economic opportunities to give girls a second chance.