Trapped by Expectation: Child Marriage and Informal Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean
Objectives
The report aims to synthesize existing demographic and research evidence on child marriage and informal unions in Latin America and the Caribbean, describing prevalence, trends, drivers, consequences and legal frameworks. It also seeks to identify gaps in data and analysis and to highlight priority areas for research, policy and programming to prevent early unions and support girls already in union.
Findings
The review finds that Latin America and the Caribbean is the only region where child marriage and informal unions have not declined over the past three decades, with roughly one in five young women having married before 18 and large within-region inequalities. The analytical evidence base is thin and often outdated, but consistently shows that discriminatory gender norms, adolescent pregnancy, poverty, school dropout, rural residence, and indigenous or Afro-descendant status drive early unions and compound risks of violence, poor sexual and reproductive health, social isolation and intergenerational deprivation. Legal reforms have raised the minimum age at marriage in most countries, but weak enforcement and the widespread use of informal unions severely limit protection for girls, while evaluations of prevention programs remain extremely scarce.
Recommendations
The report recommends updating national and subnational prevalence estimates, including for informal unions, and investing in mixed-methods research that unpacks how girls’ normative environments shape risk and resilience. It calls for rigorous impact evaluations of culturally tailored, multi-sectoral interventions that combine legal reform and enforcement with education, sexual and reproductive health services, social protection and norm-change strategies that engage families, male partners, community leaders and institutions. It further urges governments and partners to prioritize marginalized rural, indigenous and Afro-descendant girls and to develop coordinated policies and support services for girls already in early unions, including pathways back to schooling and protection from violence.
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