Child marriage is rooted in gendered social norms and unequal relationships between women and men. It is made worse by poverty, low levels of education, and social and economic insecurity. The Girls Not Brides Theory of Change emphasises the need for comprehensive and gender-transformative approaches that address unequal gender norms through advancing girls’ rights and leadership, mobilising families and communities, providing services, and establishing and implementing laws and policies.
Within this comprehensive approach, social protection – especially cash transfer programmes – can play a role in mitigating some of the economic and social drivers of child marriage in both development and humanitarian contexts.
This report provides a review of the available evidence on the effects of cash transfers on child marriage and provides policy makers, practitioners and advocates with the knowledge to maximise the potential of cash transfer programmes to contribute towards ending child marriage around the world.