Q.  Why do you believe Child Marriage should end in Madagascar? In Madagascar, at times marriages are arranged by parents and other elder family members as well. However in some cases, children decide to get married due to various reasons including poverty, certain distractions and majorly due to engaging in sexual relations. As a result, girls get pregnant at an early age and pregnancy before marriage is considered shameful in Madagascar. So the children decide to get marrie

Q. What do you find are the major causes of Child Marriage in your country from your field work? The major causes of child marriage are poverty– the financial difficulties faced by parents, and the lack of parental education. Parents with lower levels of education are more likely to arrange child marriages compared to educated parents. Additionally, existing social norms  here give prominence to boys’ education while neglecting girls’ education. People here believe that girls

Q.  What motivated you to take action against child marriage? Years back, I came across a friend who informed me that she was getting married at that time, and she was only 12 years old. I could not comprehend the gravity of the situation, as I was also very young then. Later, she was married to someone much older than her. The pain she went through transformed my perspective on child marriage. Following this, I became determined to be part of sensitisation programmes to crea

Xaveria, a 10-year-old from Liberia is committed to ending child, early and forced marriages in her community. She firmly believes that education is key to eliminating this harmful practice. At her school, she has established a club called ‘Anti-Child Marriage Club’ and also regularly visits public places like markets and churches to create awareness and educate the public, including students and parents, about the potential harms of child marriage. Xaveria says 'I know child