Child Marriage Reduction in South Asia: Learnings from Progress in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal (2025)

Child marriage remains a major challenge in South Asia, where it deprives millions of girls of autonomy, education, and economic opportunities. However, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal stand out in terms of their progress in addressing the issue. This comparative study analyses the policies and programmes that have contributed to the success in these countries in order to identify the most effective approaches to inform policy recommendations for organisations, governments, donors, and advocacy groups working to eradicate child marriage in South Asia.

Findings indicate that education is protective against child marriage in each country, and that Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs) encouraging school participation have been an effective means of enhancing girls’ future economic prospects and therefore their decision-making power. However, the findings highlight how education initiatives alone cannot tackle the issue due to their inability to address the underlying social causes. Community-based approaches, including media campaigns, life skills training, and reproductive health education, have been successful in raising awareness and changing social attitudes. Weak legal enforcement is also identified as a hinderance to progress. Moreover, the study emphasises the need for context-specific and multi-stakeholder approaches.