Rural Development and Education: Critical Strategies for Ending Child Marriages

Abstract

Gender inequality remains a prevalent global concern and has been identified as a significant contributing factor to the occurrence of child marriages. Child marriage is a serious human rights violation that has significant socio-economic effects on children, families, and communities. This study aimed to identify key determinants of child marriages through the use of multiple regression analysis. Child marriage was operationalized as the dependent variable, while wealth, unemployment, education, rural poverty, and gender inequality were employed as independent variables. The findings of the study revealed a positive correlation between rural poverty and child marriages, suggesting that areas of higher poverty may be associated with a greater incidence of child marriages. Additionally, the study found a negative relationship between knowledge and child marriages, indicating that the empowerment of local communities through education may serve as an effective strategy to decrease child marriages. The results of this study have important policy implications, and it is crucial that federal governments and administrative bodies prioritize measures to protect against child marriages in order to address gender inequality.