Child marriage remains a pervasive global issue, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and gender inequality. Misconceptions surrounding cultural norms and economic pressures contribute to this harmful practice. Efforts to eradicate child marriage must address both cultural sensitivities and socioeconomic factors, promoting education and empowerment to break the cycle.
However, the challenge of child marriage persists due to deep-rooted cultural norms, poverty, and limited awareness in local communities. Absence of effective measures is exacerbated by inadequate legal enforcement, insufficient education on the harms of early marriage, and a lack of community-based initiatives. Overcoming these hurdles requires comprehensive, culturally sensitive strategies promoting education, economic empowerment, and legal reforms at the grassroots level. To increase public knowledge about the problem of child marriage, Amal Foundation completed a three-part campaign in the Bogura Char under the name “Rukhe Darao-Awareness Campaign to Solve Child Marriage” in collaboration with the Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF).
Through this initiative, communities were inspired to increase their skill sets when it was completed. They were provided an opportunity to share their opinions throughout the campaign’s several phases. The key issues facing the initiative were the common misconception about child marriage and the absence of measures addressing it in the local communities as key challenges.