What is Compassion doing to end child marriage?  

Part of what we can do is increase awareness by raising our voices and amplifying those of girls in communities where child marriage is most prevalent – to say ‘Stop the Weddings’. 

In conjunction with this we also work closely with communities to help educate them about the dangers of child marriage, and we serve and protect girls through child sponsorship in the following ways. 

Access to education: Girls that stay in school longer, get married later. Research by The World Bank shows that each year of secondary education a girl receives can reduce the likelihood of marrying before the age of 18 by five percentage points or more in many countries. With the Compassion child sponsorship programme, a girl in poverty receives the fees and resources to go to school. Compassion sponsored children are 41.6% more likely to finish secondary school.  

Protection from female genital mutilation (FGM): More than 200 million girls and women alive today have been cut. Compassion’s church-driven project allows girls a safe space where staff work sensitively to educate families and communities about the dangers of FGM and protect girls at risk.  

Child protection: Compassion’s staff are highly trained in safeguarding. In addition, there are dedicated safeguarding professionals where staff, caregivers and sponsored children can seek advice and help. Staff know each child by name and care for them deeply. If a child is in danger or goes missing, Compassion’s staff are well placed to notice and act quickly. Additionally, by providing educational resources, health and nutritional support, sponsorship relieves the financial strain on a girl’s family. By reducing the desperation that extreme poverty brings, families feel less pressured into giving their daughters in marriage.  

Opportunities for long-term employment: 496 million adult women are illiterate and account for more than half of the world’s 781 million illiterate adults. Compassion supported children are 35.9% more likely to get a white-collar job and 75% more likely to be community leaders. This brings families out of poverty for good, breaking the cycle and protecting the next generation of girls. 

Increase education in the community around the dangers of child marriage: By providing good quality community training on the dangers and disadvantages of child marriage, Compassion is helping to change attitudes to this harmful practice. For example, in the Dominican Republic, project staff have increased their counselling efforts with girls and their families; in Ethiopia, guest speakers facilitate workshops to educate communities about keeping girls safe from early marriage; girls clubs in Brazil prepare teenagers for the joys and challenges of womanhood and in Bangladesh, parents and children gather at the project in small groups to discuss the dangers of child marriage.