BRAC's presentation on Child Marriage to the Gender Working Group in April 2019

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BRAC Initiatives to child marriage
Hasne Ara Begum
Programme Coordinator
Gender Justice and Diversity Program

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Context of girls in Bangladesh
• Valuation of girl child ; unequal access to nutrition, health
care, education, choice of life
• Social insecurity and high risk of sexual violence
• Gender discriminatory practices and son preference
• Socio-cultural gender norms and values around girls
controls sexuality and freedom of mobility
• High rate of GBV against girls and also child marriage

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CHILD MARRIAGE AROUND THE WORLD
• Child marriage is a truly global problem that cuts across
countries, cultures, religions and ethnicities.
• Every year, 12 million girls marry before the age of 18. Child
marriage happens across countries, cultures and regions.
• World wide 1 in 5 girls are married before the age of 18.
• Over 650 million women alive today were married as children.
Source: https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/where-does-it-happen/

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Child Marriage in Bangladesh
• Bangladesh is the fourth highest child marriage prevalence
country in the world
• 59% of girls in Bangladesh are married before the age of 18
• 22% girls are married before the age of 15
• One in five girls is married before the age of 15 (18%)
• 29% of adolescent girls aged 15-19 are currently married.
*Source: Unicef state of the world’s children report, 2017

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Reasons behind child marriage
Based on the findings of BRAC district level workshop with Marriage registrars & religious leaders
Child
Marriage
Income
Poverty
Social
Insecurity
Lack of Proper
implementatio
n and
monitoring of
existing
policies & laws
Lack of
awareness
among parents
on harmful
effect on their
girls with CM
Lack of
accountability
of marriage
registrars
Local power
structure &
dynamics
Easy access of
false age
certificate

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BRAC Gender Strategic Goals (2016-2020)
Goal 1 : Coordinated actions to
address violence against
women and Children (VAWC)
across all BRAC initiatives.
Target: At least 10% lower
incidence of VAWC than present
levels in all field areas
Goal 2 : Mobilizing men and
boys in addressing VAWC
across all BRAC initiatives.
Target: Activities /platforms to
mobilize men & boys integrated
towards addressing VAWC in BRAC
programs
Goal 3: Ensuring women and
men in BRAC have equal
opportunities for participation,
personal & professional
advancement towards
contribution to organization’s
vision and goals.
Target: Improvement in staff ratios
at mid level with at least 30% women
staff in general and 40% in new
recruitmentGoal 4: Ensuring violence free
working environment in all BRAC
offices.
Target: Reduction in incidences of
sexual harassment by at least 50% of
the present level
IN PROGRAMMES IN ORGANIZATION

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Gender Integration: partnerships in action
Partnership
Built
Key gender focus
HNPP Awareness and capacity of health workers ( SS, SK); inclusion of VAWC
in health forums/discussions; spouse forums, gender sensitization and
capacity of staff; gender responsive workplace;
Gender skill transfer of 100% HNPP staff, 1% reduction of CM across
HNPP communities, Informed decision making in family planning,
nutrition behavior ( 2019 priority)
Microfinance
Programme
CSA Empowerment , VAWC sensitization of MF clients including their spouse;
Gender responsive Branch Offices ; Increase women staff & leadership,
Gender analysis of MF, gender transformative MF pilot designing and testing
BRAC
Education
Programme
Gender and VAWC sensitization of teachers, parents, school
management committees, mentors, kishori leaders, librarians for
preventing Sexual Harassment, ending child marriage; Capacity building
of staff, gender responsive workplace;
Scaling up awareness on Child sexual abuse (good touch & bad touch)
at primary school level and positive parenting ( both at primary and
secondary level)

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Gender Integration: partnerships in action
Enterprises(AA
F, Aarong,
BDFL)
Gender responsive workplace/centres; social
empowerment of Artisan, workers to combat domestic
violence, SH, CM, SRHR, access to & control over
income & assets.
Aarong, AAF 100% scaling up GI interventions outlets,
centres/ sub-centres , creating gender responsive model
offices
CEP&IDP Replicate MEJNIN learnings in CEP, Men & boys
engagement towards ending VAWC in IDP and CEP, Focus
on EMB and lessons learnt
HRLD Gender responsive work environment; increase number and
leadership of women staff; policy orientation and
mainstreaming some of support services
-Introduction of mentorship programme for women
leadership, Gender objectives in PMS , Operationalizing
safe guard policy
Road Safety
Programme
Gender responsive and sexual harassment free
transportation
Advocacy at policy level

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Jhena
idah
Rajs
hahi
Gaiban
dha
Rajba
ri
Jaypur
hat
Jes
sor
e
Sher
pur
Kurig
ram
Ran
gpur
Dinaj
pur
Mymen
sing
Bog
ura
Cum
illa
Kus
htia
Habi
ganj
Pa
bn
a
Dh
aka
Syl
het
Khuln
a
Bar
isal
Gazi
pur
Chatto
gram
Manikg
anj
Naraya
nganj
Jamalpur
HNPP
BEP
Aarong
BDFP
AAF
MF
Total Outreach
1522600
(HNPP-843000, BEP-
105000,
MF-547500,Enterprise-
27100)
Total
Upazila
160
Total District
43
Total
Branch
Office
220Enterprise
Outlet
35
Maternity
Center
46
Target to reach 7million by 2020
Outreach target 2019
We reached 1,845,632, F : 1,654,611 in 2018

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BEP
HNPP
GJD
CEPSkills
MF
HRLS
BRAC Reaching the youths for prevention and protection of
CM
Youth 15,72,091

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BRAC Girls empowerment Framework
Structure
Access to information &
services, formal informal
institutions, access to law and
judicial, culture and customs
Relation
Girls enrolment in school,
Negotiation skills with parents
and teachers, connectivity
with peers & neighborhood
Agency
Confidence, aspiration,
awareness, education, skill ,
mobility in public sphere,
health, control ov body

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Girls Empowerment: BRAC Theory of Change
Goal: Girls and women enjoy equal rights and opportunity to fulfill their
potential
Girls can decide if, when and whom to marryImpact
Results
Girls can take their
decision about life,
including marriage
Girls engage in
education and
opportunities as
alternatives to
child marriage
Family and
community
increasingly
support alternatives
roles for girls
Men and
boys take
greater action
against child
marriage
Enhance Legal
framework,
implementation
and service
provision
Outcomes
Girls
•Aware of rights
•Develop skill
• Collective action
•Eco & social
roles
Families &
Communities
• Aware of harmful
impact
• Value alternative
option to child marriage
Laws & Policies
• Robust legal
frameworks
• Strengthened marriage
registration system
• Accountability &
monitoring
Services
• Increased access
to education
• Adequate eco &
social opportunities
• Safe space
Strategies
Empower girls
with
information,
skill & network
Sensitize &
engage family
community, men &
boys
Encourage
supportive law &
policies
Coalition &
networking
building
Provide skill
& economic
support

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BRAC’s approach to girls empowerment
• Consequences of
child marriage
• Health and economic
effects
• Legal provisions
• Dimension of VAW
and Sexual
harassment
AWARE
• Peer network
• Sports and physical activity
• Community mobilization
• Life skill and income generation
• Agency building
ENGAGE • Independent decision
• Combat child marriage
• Creating safe space
• Choose future life
• Equip with alternative
solution
ACTION

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Promising practices in primary prevention of
VAWG:
Experience from BRAC
Multilevel approach
• Increase
awareness on
social and legal
rights of girls
Individual
• Raising
awareness on
harmful effects of
CM , VAWG
,gender based
discrimination
Household
• Mobilize
community for
strengthening
solidarity against
CM & VAWG
Community
• Increase
collaboration
among
relevant
service
providers and
act as
pressure
group aginst
CM
State

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Transforming Girls life

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Girls are
provided with
safe space
Girls are aware with
SRHR issues
Involved with
sports and
physical activity,
build confidence
Gain leadership
quality, life skill
and IGA training
Financially
empowered and
take individual
decision
Mobilize
community,
teachers parents
and peers to
combat CM,
Sexual
harassment
break the Culture
of Silence and
decrease
intergenerational
gap
Girls
empowered
Transforming Girls life

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• Legal education to spread
awareness
• Legal aid cervices
• Counseling and legal referrals
• Writ petition in favor of
women and girls rights
• Community mobilization
• Raise awareness through
popular theatre and
community radio
• Engage men and boys to
combat VAWC
• Safe citizenship for girls
• Change gender social norms
• Address sexual harassme4nt
• Disseminate government
helpline numbers
• Engage men and boys to
combat VAWC
• Networking with women
movement and policy advocacy
for women friendly policy
environment
• Enroll the drop out girls
• Safe space, skill development,
peer network
• Self defense
• Sports for development
• Engage men and boys to
combat VAWC BEP GJD
HRLSCEP
BRAC programs to combat child marriage

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Qualitative changes
• Girls who were dropped out from primary edu, got the opportunity to engage
& earn
• Motivated girls for savings and doing income generation activities, started
own business, gained recognition in family and society
• Girls developed leadership quality, confidence and negotiation skill as the
loan was controlled and managed by the girls themselves
• Delayed the age of marriage
• Reduced dowry related violence, domestic violence
• Offered alternative life choices to the girls
• Explored the potentials and leadership quality of girls
• Sensitized and engaged parents, teachers, men and boys
• Developed capacity of community volunteers
• Strengthened communication and relation with village/community people
• Good relation and acceptance at government level
• Increased responsiveness of local govt.

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Priorities for 2019
• Scale up pilots of gender equality initiatives in partner
programs/ enterprises
• Program specific gender analysis to deep down sectoral
priorities to design gender responsive program model and
test
• Jointly work with program to set gender objectives and
indicators to implement GI lesson learnt recommendations
• Work with partner programs/ enterprises to monitor GI
progress through utilizing partner's M&E system
• Continue staff and key stakeholders gender technical
capacity building to facilitate gender transformative changes
within BRAC programmes.

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Priority 2019 contd.
 Programs/departments/enterprises have set gender objectives and
indicators in their 2019 Annual Operating Plans
 Non negotiable gender equality objective embedded in the new
performance appraisals system
 Gender mainstreaming checklist for New project of proposal development
 Partnering with other GO/NGO /Civil society actors for maximizing the
impact around Gender Equality & women’s empowerment. (ie member of
GNB, ENB etc)

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