By: Haruna Kuyateh
Society for the Study of Women Health (SSHW) in collaboration with Agency for the Development of Women and Children (ADWAC) recently organized a day long forum to sensitized research findings with local steering committee LSC on early marriage conductein 24 communities of Lower Baddibou in the North Bank Region.
The project dubbed preventing early marriage in rural Gambia: testing an intervention, is funded by International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Canada. The synergy was held at ADWAC conference hall in Kerewan North Bank Region.
Dr. Mat Lowe, Director of Society for the Study of Women Health and Principal Investigator, noted that the objective of the project is to determine the prevalence and factors that led to a decline in or are perpetuating early marriage in Lower Baddibou District.
He said the outcome will be study use for the findings generated to design and implement relevant package of interventions to reduce the prevalence of early marriage in the districts.
According to him, the research revealed that early marriage exposed girls to risk of multiple pregnancies, maternal morbidity and mortality, and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS.
The research intervention includes community engagement forums and discussion sessions focusing on the social norms around early marriage, educating parents on early marriage, support girls to remain in school and build life skills of girls who cannot or have dropped out of school.
Lowe commended all the participating communities and community based committees of the project for their support during the research and dissemination of research findings.
Meanwhile, the recent studies indicated that significant numbers of girls in below 18 years get marriage in Lower Baddibou get marriage.
The intervention will work with established structures to strengthen community dialogue to promote gender and social norms change, encourage retention of girls in schools, and provide life skills of girls who cannot or have dropped out of school.
Also most importantly advocate for group formation for young girls and boys to help them build friendships, gain confidence and social networks, which they can leverage on to challenge existing gender and social norms around early marriage and the role of the girl child.
Local Steering Committee hailed the project and donor for the foresight in conducting an in-depth studies using both qualitative and quantitative research on factor responsible for early marriage and most important in conducting dissemination meetings of research findings in each of the 24 communities in Lower Baddibou.