Child, early and forced marriage in India: What we know and what we need to know
This study covers the outcome of a National Consultation organised in New Delhi, India in February 2020 by Girls Not Brides and Children Believe. The purpose of this research was to identify gaps in the existing research on child marriage in India.
The study intends to encourage discussions and understand what we need to know to end child marriage, and ensure a better future for young girls. It highlights recommended areas for future research but does not aim to provide a prescriptive guideline or definitive framework, and rather describe the general outlines of what we know, and what we need to understand better.
Two important milestones identified by the report that govern the work on CEFM, which also influence the design and development of Theory of Change are:
- the age of 18 years as a cut-off point to focus efforts to address and reduce vulnerability and risk as highlighted in the framework above, and
- looking through the larger predictors like education, poverty, social norm, legal and policy framework without going depth of it to look through these how ensure value of girls rather than the magic number of 18 years.