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Interagency Youth Working Group

© 2003 Sean Hawkey, Courtesy of Photoshare© 2001 Jim Stipe/Lutheran World Relief, Courtesy of Photoshare© 2001 Jennifer Knox/CCP, Courtesy of Photoshare© 2006 Jane Koehler/CCP, Courtesy of Photoshare© 2005 Esther Braud, Courtesy of Photoshare

Resources On Youth Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS

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2005 Mani Lama/CCP Nepal, Courtesy of Photoshare Early Marriage Email to a friend

Recommended Resources

Overview and Lit. Review

Program Reports

Case Study

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Programs addressing adolescent reproductive health and HIV prevention tend to focus on unmarried youth, but the majority of unprotected sexual activity among adolescent girls in most developing countries occurs within marriage. In some settings, young married girls (ages 15 to 19) have been shown to have higher rates of HIV infection than sexually active unmarried youth of the same ages.
 
When girls marry at a young age, they often leave their homes, stop attending school, and lose contact with family and friends. For many, marriage marks the beginning of their sexual life. Studies have shown that young married girls face a number of disadvantages that affect their health, as well as their social and economic well-being.
 
There are two primary ways to address the disadvantages of early marriage faced by young girls:
  1. Support a later age of marriage through such efforts as helping girls stay in school, providing better economic opportunities for girls, and working to change traditional attitudes and policies about early marriage.

  2. Provide support for those who do marry at a young age by expanding social networks, providing information on reproductive health and HIV to married girls and their partners, and promoting continued schooling.

Recommended Resources

 Overview and Literature Review
Early Marriage and Adolescent Girls. This YouthLens research brief summarizes the key issues regarding risks of child marriage and disadvantages of those already married at a young age, including summaries of programs addressing these issues. A summary of useful resources is included, covering more resources than are listed on this page. (Family Health International/YouthNet, 2005)
 
Early Marriage, a Harmful Traditional Practice: A Statistical Exploration. Using data from the Demographic and Household Surveys, this publication estimates the prevalence of child marriage and seeks to identify and understand the factors associated with child marriage and cohabitation. The statistical linkages identified can help programmers promote delayed marriage and use advocacy and behavior-change campaigns to prevent child marriage. (UNICEF, 2005)
 
Married Adolescents: An Overview. This paper provides a useful overview of issues and research findings on this issue. It was prepared for a World Health Organization/United Nations Population Fund technical consultation on the topic. (Population Council, 2003)
 
The Roles, Responsibilities, and Realities of Married Adolescent Males and Adolescent Fathers: A Brief Literature Review. This paper provides a useful overview of issues and research findings related to young fathers. It was prepared for a World Health Organization/United Nations Population Fund technical consultation on the topic. (Instituto Promundo, 2003)
 
When Marriage Is No Haven...Child Marriage in Developing Countries. This research brief summaries key issues affecting child marriage. (International Center for Research on Women, 2004)
Program Reports
Bringing New Opportunities to Adolescent Girls in Socially Conservative Settings. This brief describes a project in rural Egypt that provides learning opportunities for girls through school and community activities. The project has helped them gain more confidence as many experience early marriage. (Population Council, 2005)
 
Promoting Change in the Reproductive Behavior of Youth: Pathfinder International’s PRACHAR Project, Bihar, India. This report documents a four-year project designed to change traditional customs of early childbearing. The project successfully engaged hundreds of villages and led to substantial changes in birth spacing and contraceptive use by newlyweds. (Pathfinder, 2005)
 
Raising the Age of Marriage for Young Girls in Bangladesh. This report on a country project shows how advocacy, support for schoolgirls, and training them for paramedic jobs helped to raise the age of marriage. (Pathfinder, 2006)
 
Transitions to Adulthood: Child Marriage/Married Adolescents. This Web site includes the project's key publications, which describe research in Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, and India, as well as some global reviews. There are also descriptions of the various country projects. (Population Council, 2007)
Case Study
Improving the Reproductive Health of Married and Unmarried Youth in India. This report of a 10-year project in India describes six intervention projects with local partner organizations. All focused in some way on community involvement and one specifically tested the role of community involvement on behavior outcomes of youth. Community mobilization and involvement was important in improving knowledge and use of services by young women. (International Center for Research on Women, 2006)

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