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Research for building evidence-based interventions to decrease child marriage in Guinea - Bissau
Financer:
Plan - Guinea Bissau
Country:
Guinea Bissau
Field of Expertise:
Social Values and Determinants of Health; Social Services; Vulnerable groups; Health Service Delivery; PHC/MNCH/RH/Nutrition/W&S; Reproductive Health / Maternal health / newborn health
Narrative description of project:
In Guinea Bissau the prevalence of child marriage in 2014 was reported to be 37% in girls under 18 years of age (MICS 2014), placing Guinea - Bissau among the countries with the highest prevalence rates of child marriage in the West Africa region. In the framework of the “18+” initiative (Plan International global response against child, early and forced marriages), Plan International Guinea–Bissau set out to develop a child marriage program to address the practice in targeted communities. In order to inform such program, Plan International Guinea–Bissau commissioned hera to conduct a qualitative research in three (3) regions: Bafata and Gabu and Cacheu. The consultant team examined the perceptions of different stakeholders regarding the causes and consequences of child marriage and the efficacy in programming to addressing these factors. This research is part of a larger sub-regional research project in Niger, Mali, Senegal, Benin and Burkina Faso. The research will help Plan International Guinea – Bissau and key partners better understand local processes and specificities of child marriage in Guinea Bissau and identify drivers of change that can be used for evidence based programming.
Description of services provided:
The consultant team collected qualitative data to complement existing and recent quantitative evidence from secondary data. All research questions were framed on the Plan International Theory of Change. Methods for data collection included key informant interviews, focus group discussions with participatory ranking methods, case studies using life lines and boy maps and photo voice. Information was collected from different stakeholders including national-level agencies and implementers, community leaders, unmarried girls and young women (14-19), married girls and young women (14-19), boys and young men (14-19), parents and caregivers (disaggregated by sex). The team also assessed the needs and priorities of the target population, particularly girls who are vulnerable to child marriage and whose needs may not otherwise be captured by secondary data, identified the opportunities available in the communities and advocacy space at national level that the programme could capitalise on, and identified promising practices to work on child marriage.
