CRANK research meeting: The interlinkages between climate change and child marriage – Learning from emerging evidence and practice

PICTURED: Supported by her uncle, his boat and the UNICEF/Jagorani Chakra Foundation “Let Us Learn Project”, 10-year-old Tawhida continues her education despite heavy and prolonged flooding in Shantiganj, Bangladesh, 2024. Almost one in three girls in this region marry or enter a union before age 18 (Girls Not Brides). Keeping girls in education is one of the best ways to prevent child marriage. Photo: © UNICEF/UNI636920/Himu.

The details

For every 10% change in rainfall due to climate change, child marriage increases 1%.[1] Join us for the first CRANK research meeting of 2025 to learn about the links between these issues, and how to strengthen cross-sectoral interventions, coordination and policies that prevent and respond to child marriage in the face of climate crisis.

In this meeting – held to coincide with the 58th Session of the Commission on Population and Development – we discussed emerging evidence, practice and strategies, and their implications for prevention, adaptation and response. Taking a holistic approach to wellbeing, we also considered the links between child marriage, food insecurity and climate-induced displacement, and social protection, education, health and social norms.

This CRANK research meeting was a space to consider and discuss:

• The implications of recent global and context-specific evidence for research, programming, advocacy and policymaking.
• Promising practice, innovative approaches and strategies to strengthen cross-sectoral interventions and policies.
• Evidence-based practices and learnings from CRANK community members on addressing these interlinkages.
• Research and evidence-based practice priorities moving forward.
• How to strengthen coordination and collaboration across diverse stakeholders and across multiple sectors.

The speakers

The meeting was moderated by Dr. Mohinder Watson, Researcher and Main United Nations Geneva Representative, International Council of Women. Speakers included:

• Chiagozie Udeh, Programme Specialist Climate Adaptation and Innovation, UNFPA ESARO. Chiagozie will be drawing from this a Pope et al scoping review What is the current evidence for the relationship between the climate and environmental crises and child marriage? and a UNFPA evidence brief on child marriage and environmental crisis.
• Sajeda Amin, Senior Research Advisor, Sajida Foundation. Sajeda will draw from this article: Climate change and child marriage: The evidence from Bangladesh.
• Loretta Adowaa Asare, Student of Bonn University Applied Social Sciences. Loretta will be drawing on this article: The consequences of climate change: A qualitative analysis of early girl child marriage as an informal adaptation strategy among rural communities in Northern Ghana.
• Ramatoulaye Dieye, Regional Gender Advisor, World Food Programme. Ramatoulaye will be drawing on this technical brief: Interlinkages of child marriage and food insecurity
• Reetika Revathy Subramanian, Creator, Climate Brides. Check out the Climate Brides map, which highlights how climate risks in South Asia intensify the structural drivers of child marriage.
• Alissa Koski, social epidemiologist and Associate Professor at McGill University in Montreal, who will draw on their recent systematic review of the evidence: The effects of extreme weather events on the frequency of child marriage.