Girl child marriage in Malda district of West Bengal: analysis of prevalence and socio-economic factors

ABSTRACT This paper examines the prevalence and socio-economic factors on child marriage in the Malda district of West Bengal using a mixed-methods approach: in-depth qualitative interviews of female victims of child marriage as well as quantitative data collected using structured interviews of women. Quantitative analysis reveals that educational attainment had an inverse relationship with girl-child marriage. This study also found that women who belonged to low-income families were more likely to married-off their daughter at an early age compared to high-income families. The qualitative information indicated multiple themes related to the causes of child marriage such as economic vulnerability due to land erosion, siblings as sisters, and comeliness of girls. The findings of the study suggest that child marriage could be prevented by increasing opportunities for girls’ education and employment. The targeted approach should be made among rural and poor girls to combat the practice of child marriage.