U.S. Pledges $4.8 M to Fight Child Marriages

WASHINGTON:  The United States has announced $4.8 million to fund projects in over half a dozen countries, including India, to end child and forced marriages. Other countries include Nepal, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Yemen.

"We know the fight against child marriage is the fight against extreme poverty," U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Raj Shah said.

"That's why USAID has put women and girls at the center of our efforts to answer President (Barack) Obama's call to end extreme poverty in two generations. It's a commitment that reflects a legacy of investment in girls—in their education, in their safety, in their health, and in their potential," the Indian American official added.

In India, the government began implementing a conditional cash transfer program in 1994, which provided families with a small payment upon the birth of a girl as well as a bond redeemable if the girl remained unmarried at the age of 18, USAID said.

A USAID-funded evaluation will provide one of the first impact evaluations in this area to assess the effectiveness of the program in preventing child, early, and forced marriage, the statement said.

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