Special Report Early Age Marriages: Challenges and Solutions

This study offers insights into the prevalence of child marriage in Georgia, its drivers, and the role of different agencies in prevention. It finds that while most child marriage is arranged by the parents, some marriages are also arranged by children themselves in order to legitimise teenage romances in the eyes of society.

The key challenges faced by those working to reduce child marriage  include:

• low public awareness of the illegal nature of child marriage, and of the consequences of child marriage


• gaps in service delivery and ineffective response mechanisms


• lack of trust in authorities among rural and ethnic minorities communities

The report identifies teachers as having one of the most fundamental roles to play in preventing child marriage, through identifying at risk girls and reporting the relevant social services. However teachers face a number of challenges:

• parental resistance to sexuality education for their children


• lack of teacher understanding of, or training on the drivers and consequences of child marriage


• teacher opposition to pregnant girls and young mothers in the classroom