Columbia International Affairs Online: Working Papers

CIAO DATE: 09/2014

High Stakes for Young Lives: Examining Strategies to Stop Child Marriage

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

April 2014

Council on Foreign Relations

Abstract

There is no single strategy for eliminating child marriage globally. Ending the practice will require a combination of legal frameworks, education policies, enforcement standards, attitude shifts, and economic incentives. Even with growing attention paid to the dangerous consequences of child marriage, a solid understanding about what works and what does not in combatting the practice remains elusive.