June, 2017: I worked with UNICEF’s social policy and gender & development sections in New York and the UNICEF country office in Dhaka on a study of the Bangladeshi government’s budgetary allocations and spending on interventions (education, child protection, health, etc.) which are known to reduce child marriage rates. The analysis was published as a joint report of UNICEF Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

One of the most depressing phenomena still afflicting the global population is the continued occurrence of child marriage around the world. According to UNICEF 12 millions girls are married below the age of 18 each year, while 650 million women alive today were married as children.

It ought not to require explanation, but child marriage robs millions of girls of their childhoods as well as significantly diminishes their chances at leading a fulfilling life in the future. As such reducing the incidence of child marriage around the world is one of the most important goals for the international development community.

Continue reading Research: Ending child marriage in Bangladesh →