In the 5 minutes it takes you to read this post, 152 girls under the age of 18 will get married—whether they want to or not. 12.5 of those girls are getting married because of the stresses COVID-19 has put on their lives, families, and communities. That’s hurting the girls and their life chances. It’s also hurting their communities, their nations, and generations to come.
CARE is committed to learn from and support diverse women and girls to challenge injustice, and strive for a world that is equal for all genders. Child and early forced marriage (CEFM) undermines the effectiveness of those efforts – including health, education, and overall equality – for girls in their families, communities, and world at large. Through the support of The Kendeda Fund, the multi-country Tipping Point initiative (2013-2023) addresses the root causes of CEFM through centering the voices and leadership of adolescent girls, evidence generation for gender-transformative approaches, and strategic advocacy in South Asia, West Africa, the Middle East and North Africa.
From 2017 to 2020, the Tipping Point initiative has worked with partners who bring years of experience in Tipping Point communities to our collaborative effort; more specifically, Siddartha Samuyadayik Samaj (SSS) and Dalit Social Development Center (DSDC) in Nepal and Jaintia Shinnomul Songstha, Gram Bikash Kendra (GBK), the Association of Slum Dwellers in Bangladesh.Together directly reaching a total of 63,386 people throughout Phase 1 and Phase 2, in Bangladesh and Nepal. Out of this, the number of girls and women reached are 43,398. Through collective action and influencing activities, the initiative has additionally reached about 116,945 people.
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