Unhappily ever after: slow and uneven progress in the fight against early marriage

"Unhappily ever after" explores how the trends and prevalence of child marriage vary considerably across regions. Drawing on research and case studies from Vietnam, Uganda and Ethiopia, the paper provides a nuanced look at the complex web of disadvantages that girls at risk of child marriage face.

Even though child marriage is underpinned by the ingrained discriminatory social norms placed on girls and women, the report  stresses the need to take culture and local context into consideration when designing initiatives to prevent child marriage.

It also reminds us that fast moving policy changes can have unintended consequences and unforeseen impacts, and therefore stresses the need for an interplay of multiple strategies to end child marriage.