The Role Of Identification In Ending Child Marriage: Identification For Development

In many countries child marriage rates have remained high despite legislation that prohibits it, often dating back over several decades; 3 a step change in women’s empowerment will be needed to eradicate this practice. However, embedding the goal within the SDG framework may offer greater potential for achieving progress than has previously been the case. Beyond SDG5 there are other goals and targets which can contribute to increasing women’s agency and empowerment. As Gelb and Dahan (2015) point out, one such example is SDG 16.9 “legal identity for all, including birth registration, by 2030,” as a clear legal identity can also make a significant contribution as an enabler to the realization of a number of other SDGs. 4 For women and girl’s possession of a secure identity document is an important stepping-stone—enabling them to access services, claim their entitlements as citizens, and increase their voice and agency through participation in elections, standing for parliament and engaging in local and community level politics (Dahan and Hanmer, 2015).