| Abstract [eng] |
This Master’s thesis examines the practice of early marriages among girls in twenty-first-century India through the case study of the “Kanyashree Prakalpa” programme in West Bengal. The aim of the thesis is to analyse the phenomenon of girls’ marriage practices and to assess the programme’s impact on girls’ and young women’s empowerment and the reduction of early marriages. Based on ethnographic field research conducted in three educational institutions in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, the study shows that the persistence of child marriage is shaped by interrelated social, economic, cultural and institutional factors. The findings indicate that girls’ continued participation in education is one of the key conditions for child marriage prevention. The analysis also suggests that linking financial support to girls’ continued schooling and the postponement of marriage until adulthood can function as an important preventive and empowering measure, particularly when early marriage is driven by family economic insecurity. In the long term, reducing child marriage requires a comprehensive approach that includes improved access to education, stronger economic support for families, more effective involvement of non-governmental organisations, and a consistent state strategy aimed at transforming social and gender norms. This thesis may be useful for researchers, policymakers, non-governmental organisations and education sector representatives interested in child marriage prevention, girls’ empowerment, access to education and social norms change. |
