Project profile — Preventing child early and forced marriage in Benin

• Benin (100.00%)

• Reproductive health care:
Reproductive health care (13020) (30.00%)
Family planning (13030) (10.00%)
STD control including HIV/AIDS (13040) (10.00%)
• Government And Civil Society, General: Ending violence against women and girls (15180) (50.00%)

• Youth Issues (principal objective)
• Gender equality (principal objective)

The project aims to promote sexual and reproductive health and adolescents’ and youth’s rights in Benin, by helping to reduce child, early and forced marriage in the Alibori and Borgou departments. To contribute to putting an end to child and early forced marriage and protect adolescent girls’ rights, the project works with communities to develop and promote local solutions. Capacity building of local actors and advocacy carried out by youth aim to create an environment conductive to the changes necessary to social and gender norms in order to end harmful traditional practices. Project activities include: (1) training on women’s and girls’ rights given to women, girls, men, boys and community and traditional leaders; (2) training health workers on adolescent sexual and reproductive health; and (3) providing complete sexual and reproductive health care for adolescents designed for youth.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased utilization of adolescent sexual and reproductive health care services by adolescents, girls and boys, in the Alibori and Borgou departments; (2) enhanced protection of adolescent girls’ rights, in the Alibori and Borgou departments; and (3) strengthened government and civil society policies and programs that respond to child early and forced marriage, gender-based violence, and adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Results achieved at the end of the project (September 2021) include: (1) led to an increase in the demand for modern contraceptives among married women or women in unions, as well as among adolescent girls (15 to 19 years old). This growth ranged from 27% to 79% for married women or women in unions in the Alibori and Borgou departments of Benin, and from 44% to 77% for young women (20 to 24 years old); (2) the rate of modern contraceptive use doubled, increasing from 15% to 38%; (3) the percentage of women who did not use any contraceptive method and whose last birth was unintended decreased from 22% to 5%; (4) the proportion of people supporting women's right to have control over their bodies improved, increasing from 35% to 60% in favor of girls and women, and from 45% to 65% in favor of boys and men; 5) the project improved the satisfaction of survivors of early and forced child marriage regarding the support they received, reaching 63%; and (6) 16 advocacy actions carried out with youth organizations, with the support of Youth Coalition. These actions aimed to promote sexual and reproductive rights and health, adolescent- and youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services, and to prevent early and forced child marriages in Benin

• Proactive disclosure
• Related activities: Preventing Child, Early and Forced Marriage in Benin - Monitoring and Evaluation