When girls\u27 lives matter: Ending forced and early marriage in Cameroon

The program presented in this case study, the Association for the Struggle Against Violence Against Women (ALVF, from its name in French) in Cameroon, provides counseling, language and literacy training, economic support, and empowerment activities for girls who have fled (or been thrown out of) early or forced marriages to help them overcome their adversities. ALVF also seeks to bring about broader social change by highlighting in the public sphere—as well as among parents and husbands—the plight of girls who were married early and/or by force. Hence, ALVF’s prevention strategy is based on a broad understanding of the perceptions, expectations, and motivations that sustain the practice of early and forced marriage. That understanding is based on the experiences of the Cameroonian women who work, or seek help, at ALVF, which are shared in this issue of the Population Council’s Quality/Calidad/Qualité series