Ending Child Marriage in Asia by 2030: Three Urgent Actions

How Do We Become Creative with Data Advocacy?

Persistent data gaps continue to limit our ability to conduct a comprehensive assessment — especially in areas crucial to women's empowerment, such as unpaid care work, gender-based violence, and child, early, and forced marriage and unions (CEFMU).²

The Asia and the Pacific SDG Progress Report 2025, launched on 18 February 2025 in the lead-up to the 12th APFSD, The Asia and the Pacific SDG Progress Report 2025, launched on 18 February 2025 in the lead-up to the 12th APFSD, Across the Asia-Pacific region, innovative approaches to community engagement and data collection are addressing data gaps, strengthening the evidence base and improving SDG monitoring.

Here are some alternative sources of data on child marriage and its associated factors — such as education, health, and gender norms. Tools like UNICEF’s MICS³ and FAO’s 50x2030 surveys provide household-level data on education, marriage, health, and income, while the UNDP’s Gender Social Norms Index⁴ and the Asian Barometer⁵ capture attitudes and norms around gender. The SDG Gender Index by Equal Measures 2030 tracks broader gender equality progress.⁶

At the APFSD, Girls Not Brides spotlighted the vital role of local civil society organisations (CSOs) in generating citizen-led data—a growing and creative form of data advocacy.⁷ Citizen-generated data not only fills in official gaps but offers contextualised insights that can strengthen the design and delivery of interventions at local, national, and regional levels.

Frameworks like the Copenhagen Framework for Citizen Data offer valuable opportunities to formalise the use of such alternative data sources and bridge gaps in gender data.⁸ Embracing this approach is essential to ensuring that the lived realities of girls and women, especially those from marginalised communities, are reflected in policy and programming, and that no one is left behind.

Diverse, Intersectoral Partnerships Accelerate Progress

Child marriage does not occur in isolation — it is deeply embedded in cultural norms, poverty, educational deprivation, and structural and systemic inequalities. Efforts to end child marriage in the Asia-Pacific region cannot rely on a single approach or one-dimensional solutions. Instead, they require socio-culturally sensitive, diverse, and intersectoral partnerships that work collectively to challenge and transform harmful practices that undermine adolescents' autonomy, rights, and bodily integrity.

During a side event at the 12th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) titled “The Power of Partnership: Eliminating Child, Early, and Forced Marriages and Unions to Promote Gender Equality in Asia-Pacific” — organised by UNICEF, WeMen View, Girls Not Brides, ChildFund International, Global Partnership for Education, and Plan International — stakeholders reaffirmed the urgency and power of collective action.⁹ A ‘Youth Call to Action for Eliminating Child, Early, and Forced Marriage in Asia-Pacific’ was presented. This powerful document was developed based on consultations with young people from Bangladesh, India, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Nepal, alongside a review of secondary data.

The side event emphasised the importance of partnerships beyond traditional sectors, including those with private actors, women-led organisations, and youth networks. These collaborations are essential in driving holistic and community-led solutions that not only address the consequences of child marriage but also tackle its root causes — paving the way for transformative change across generations. The participation by government of Nepal and the SAARC secretariat reflected on policy commitments and action to address child marriage. 

Meaningful Implementation of the Pact for the Future

Pact for the Future —adopted at the Summit of the Future in September 2024 — aims to strengthen global cooperation in addressing critical challenges, including sustainable development, peace and security, and digital governance. It is worth noting that the Pact commits to addressing gender equality as a cross-cutting issue. This is also the first time that a document articulates member states commitments to the next generation that will inherit the planet and the generations that are to come. Girls Not Brides played a pivotal role in influencing the inclusion of CEFMU in the Pact’s final version — specifically under Action Point 35, which explicitly commits to ending CEFMU.10 This inclusion marks a significant milestone in recognising the structural and intersectional barriers that perpetuate harmful practices against adolescents and reaffirms the importance of centring youth rights and gender justice in global policymaking.

At the 12th APFSD, Girls Not Brides had the opportunity to participate in a high-level panel on the Pact for the Future.11 The organisation was invited to reflect on the role of civil society in accelerating the regional implementation of the Pact, especially with regard to commitments to young people and future generations. Girls Not Brides‘ interventions highlighted the important role of civil society in generating citizen-led data, building youth agency and leadership and advancing intergenerational solidarity through dialogue. It is hopeful that the Pact actions prioritising partnerships with civil society will unlock core, long-term and flexible funding to CSOs to equip them to respond to the evolving needs of the communities they work in. 

Girls Not Brides also actively contributed to the Roundtable Discussions on SDG 5, foregrounding the need for bridging data gaps, transforming gender norms, partnering with women-led organisations and fostering a more positive and collaborative environment for participation by civil society organisations. The Chair’s summary provides deeper insights into the deliberations at the APFSD.¹²

These are some of the potential strategies to accelerate progress towards SDGs by 2030, but there is and always is going to be more to it. As the clock ticks down to 2030, the Asia-Pacific region stands at a crossroads: either accelerate collective, inclusive, and innovative action to eliminate child, early, and forced marriage — or risk leaving generations of girls and adolescents behind. The 12th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) made it clear that the time for fragmented efforts is over. Whether through filling gender data gaps with citizen-generated knowledge, forging bold intersectoral partnerships, or pushing for the implementation of global commitments like the Pact for the Future — every step must be rooted in equity, youth leadership, and systemic change.