A Feminist Vision for Ending Child Marriage in East Africa Road Map 2023-2027

"...goal is to drive change and foster accountability, inviting governments, donors, international organisations, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), national civil society, and the private sector to endorse a new feminist vision and road map for ending child marriage in Eastern Africa."

Child marriage, which is rooted in deeply entrenched gender inequality, affects as many as one in five girls globally. Evidence suggests that child marriage tends to increase during conflicts and displacement. In January 2021, the Women's Refugee Commission (WRC), Rozaria Memorial Trust (RMT), and King's College London (King's) launched an initiative to end child marriage with experts and practitioners from feminist, women-led, and women's rights civil society organisations (CSOs) in Eastern Africa. Over the course of two years, the participatory action and learning research initiative identified gaps in existing practice and evidence-informed strategies that can be used to prevent child marriage and respond to the needs of those who have already experienced child marriage. Recognising the urgency for action in humanitarian settings, the consortium developed a this road map to expedite progress towards ending child marriage by 2027.

WRC, RMT, and King's began the process by reviewing the evidence on existing approaches to prevent child marriage in crisis-affected communities. Learnings gleaned from the review were used to inform a multi-stage Delphi study with representatives from feminist and women's rights organisations in Eastern Africa to develop consensus on the goal, interlinked objectives, and pathways of action towards a shared set of outcomes. The road map and its participatory process are outlined in this report.

This process unearthed four areas in which efforts should be focused to ensure the timely and comprehensive response to child marriage in crises: (i) disconnect between gender equality and child marriage; (ii) weak linkages of humanitarian practice with national systems and local actors; (iii) lack of localised theories of change and durable solutions; and (iv) insufficient evidence base on effective prevention programming and response for girls who have already experienced child marriage.

In this context, the goal of the road map is to expedite progress in Eastern Africa towards the elimination of child marriage through:

• Better integration of sectoral programming to address needs holistically and confront systemic barriers that inhibit the participation and rights of children - in particular, adolescent girls;
• Meaningful inclusion of place-based feminist and women's rights actors at the forefront of preparedness and response activities undertaken with communities impacted by crises; and
• Positioning women and girls (including child mothers) as leaders and change makers in communities and in national, regional, and global positions to improve or advance policies that uproot gender inequality and its related impacts.

This measurable and actionable 5-year plan aims to meet the need for enhanced collaboration with and leadership of place-based feminist and women's rights organisations through the following outcomes:

1. Feminist and women's rights actors are well trained, well resourced, and well positioned to transform practice and policies that drive humanitarian preparedness and response through local to regional spaces.
2. High-quality, evidence-based gender-transformative services and programmes are implemented in each phase of an emergency by place-based actors that are responsive to the needs and priorities of girls in all their diversity.
3. Intra- and inter-governmental mechanisms that govern disaster prevention and response are strengthened to improve functioning and coordination of national systems critical for women and girls, including social protection, health, education, and justice.
4. Justice systems are strengthened through transparent processes to support girls and their families.
5. Funding is available for child marriage prevention and response for each phase of an emergency and in a manner that prioritises localised capacity strengthening and implementation.

One of the key themes highlighted in the report is the importance of driving change through collective action. Key learnings from this initiative have identified five areas deemed foundational for effective collaboration and coordination that will enable consortium members to achieve the above-mentioned outcomes. They include:

• Unity: Effective collaboration requires a shared vision (expressed through this road map) and commitment to addressing child marriage underpinned by transparent relationships built on trust and respect.
• Synergy and coordination: Regular communication, a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities of members, and a coordinating body (such as a secretariat) are needed to facilitate collective action.
• Enhanced communication: Sharing experiences and knowledge, for example, can alleviate challenges in information sharing between sectors and between local actors and those working at various levels (e.g., within humanitarian system, national policymakers) in order to ensure practical support and full engagement of local groups.
• Funding and resourcing: Particular attention should be paid to equal distribution of funding and resources to enhance inclusion of a wide range of stakeholders - in particular, grassroots CSOs.

After the report outlines the road map's key action areas, indicators and targets, and plan for implementation, annexes share details about and the key findings from the participatory action research conducted by WRC, RMT, and King's with grassroots feminist actors in Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. The themes that study participants identified as priority for preventing child marriage and transforming gender norms include: access to justice; awareness raising; economic empowerment and livelihoods; education; and engaging communities in programmeme design and implementation. Each thematic brief includes data on the issue in question (e.g., awareness raising), as well as context, recommended practice, and learnings for action. Direct quotes from participants are included (in italics) throughout the briefs. For example: "Child marriage programmes should elevate children and young people’s voices through 'involving [them] in the design and implementation' phases and centring their experiences in the programme to 'ensure the solutions are youth-friendly and youth-appropriate'."