Decade of progress: Ten years of Girls Not Brides and the Global Partnership to End Child Marriage

Objectives

The report aims to take stock of the first ten years of Girls Not Brides and the Global Partnership to End Child Marriage, assessing progress in reducing child marriage, growing and strengthening the partnership, and influencing governments, donors and multilaterals. It also seeks to consolidate learning on why child marriage happens and what works to end it, in order to refine the Partnership’s Theory of Change and set strategic directions for accelerating progress towards a world without child marriage.

Findings

Over the decade, global child marriage prevalence fell by about 15%, resulting in an estimated 25 million marriages averted, with particularly rapid declines in South Asia, India and Ethiopia; yet progress remains uneven across and within regions, with 12 million girls still marrying each year and those in poor, rural and crisis-affected settings at highest risk.

The Partnership has expanded from around 50 to more than 1,500 member organisations in over 100 countries and has helped drive major political commitments, including SDG target 5.3, regional initiatives, and over 40 national strategies and action plans, alongside new funding mechanisms such as the Girls First Fund and VOW for Girls.

Evidence and practice over the decade have strengthened consensus that ending child marriage requires gender-transformative, multi-sectoral approaches that put girls’ rights and agency at the centre, transform social norms, provide quality education and SRHR services, and are backed by coherent laws, policies and adequately financed national systems.

Summary

The report reviews the first ten years of Girls Not Brides and the broader global movement to end child marriage, highlighting both gains and gaps. It notes that global child marriage prevalence has declined by roughly 15% over the decade, with an estimated 25 million marriages averted, driven largely by rapid progress in South Asia, especially India and Ethiopia. At the same time, it stresses that 12 million girls still marry each year, with the greatest risk concentrated among those who are poorest, in rural areas, and living in fragile or crisis-affected settings, and that progress has been far slower in parts of West and Central Africa, Latin America and the Sahel.

It also documents how the Girls Not Brides partnership has grown from a small group of organisations to a network of more than 1,500 members in over 100 countries, contributing to major political commitments such as SDG target 5.3, regional initiatives, and over 40 national strategies and action plans. It concludes that ending child marriage requires long-term, gender-transformative, multi-sectoral approaches that put girls’ rights and agency at the centre, link education, health and social protection, and are backed by coherent laws, adequate and sustained funding, and stronger accountability for governments and donors.

Purpose

The purpose of this report is to reflect on ten years of progress by Girls Not Brides and the global movement to end child marriage, drawing together evidence, lessons and achievements from the first decade of collective action. It aims to assess what has worked, where progress has stalled, and what strategic shifts are needed to accelerate change, strengthen national and global commitments, and ensure that girls everywhere can live free from child marriage

Audience

The report is intended for policymakers, donors, civil society organisations, researchers and practitioners working on child marriage, adolescent girls’ rights and gender equality. It also targets global and regional institutions, national governments and Girls Not Brides member organisations that rely on evidence and strategic guidance to shape policies, programmes and investments aimed at ending child marriage.