This field study draws on casework from NUK's Legal Aid & Early Marriage Prevention Program to examine the underlying drivers of early marriage and dowry violence in the rural communities where NUK operates.
What the study found
- Economic precarity, more than social attitude alone, was the most common factor present in cases reaching NUK's field staff.
- Cases identified before a marriage was finalised had substantially better intervention outcomes than cases identified afterward.
- Most cases were first identified through NUK's existing community presence — particularly health and economic support networks — rather than a standalone legal intake channel.
Implications for program design
These findings reinforced NUK's decision to pair legal counselling with household economic support through its Family Development Program, rather than treating legal aid as a service that could operate independently of economic intervention.
The study also informed the design of NUK's school-based outreach, covered in Adolescent Girls' Rights Program Expands School Outreach — reaching girls earlier, before many of the relevant decision points arise.
Ongoing work
NUK continues to track intervention timing and outcomes as its legal aid program expands into additional districts.