Despite increasing global attention and commitments by countries to end the harmful practice of child marriage, each year some 15 million girls marry before the age of 18. This set of studies contributes to the evidence base regarding child marriage by synthesizing research across 4 diverse country contexts in sub-Saharan Africa.
The research suggest that a combination of poverty, transactional sex, unequal gender norms contribute to a cycle of unintended pregnancy that leads to school dropout and child marriage. The review of literature also indicate that child marriage further increases the risk of exposure to HIV.
Futher demonstrating how educating girls, providing women with economic opportunities, and providing access to sexual and reproductive health information and services can provide a path forward toward the goal of ending child marriage in a generation.