BALIKA demonstrates it is possible to reduce the prevalence of child marriage in a relatively short period of time by working with communities to implement holistic programs to build skills among girls.
Despite significant progress in many gender and reproductive health indicators, two out of three girls in Bangladesh are married before the legal age of 18. Most become mothers while they themselves are still children. When girls are married early, they are more likely to drop out of school, be unemployed and experience violence and harassment. A delayed marriage greatly improves a girl’s chances for a healthy and productive life.
The BALIKA project was a four-arm randomized controlled trial that evaluated whether three skills-building approaches to empower girls can effectively delay the age at marriage among girls aged 12–18 in parts of Bangladesh where child marriage rates are at their highest.