PICTURED: Poster session during Girls Not Brides global meeting Photo: Girls Not Brides/Graham Crouch

Published in June 2020 by Girls Not Brides Seventh Floor 65 Leadenhall Street London EC3A 2AD United Kingdom www.GirlsNotBrides.org [email protected]

Individuals depicted in this publication are for illustrative purposes only and Girls Not Brides do not intend to imply any specific information about their status as a child bride. All subjects in the pictures in this document have given their consent for their image to be used by Girls Not Brides.

PICTURED ON COVER: Girls in a primary school in Samburu, Kenya. Photo: Girls Not Brides/Amref.

1. INTRODUCTION ...... 1 2. BACKGROUND: GIRLS NOT BRIDES’ LINK TO BUDGET ADVOCACY ...... 2 3. ROLE OF GIRLS NOT BRIDES MEMBERS IN BUDGET ADVOCACY ...... 4 4. RATIONALE FOR THE BUDGET ADVOCACY PILOT PROJECTS ...... 4 5. METHODOLOGY ...... 6 6. LIMITATIONS OF PILOT FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS ...... 8 7. LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE BUDGET ADVOCACY PILOTS ...... 8 Lesson 1: Civil society organisations have a unique role in holding government to account for their budgetary commitments to address child marriage...... 8 Lesson 2: Civil society must negotiate their role as both advocates and “encouraging friends” to government in their budget advocacy work...... 9 Lesson 3: Strong relationships between civil society and key stakeholders – government officials, parliamentarians, other civil society organisations, the media, community leaders and young people – are key to budget advocacy success...... 10 Lesson 4: Budget advocacy on child marriage helps lift the political profile of the issue at the sub-national level...... 11 Lesson 5: A solid budget analysis is a powerful tool that complements other advocacy strategies. Civil society must leverage technical expertise to conduct budget analyses and ensure budget advocacy is supported by strong data...... 12 Lesson 6: Budget advocacy is not a one-off – it is a long-term process with which to engage as part of a broader advocacy plan...... 15 8. CONCLUSION ...... 15 9. ANNEX: PROJECT PILOT CASE STUDIES ...... 17 Project 1: Implementing a gender-responsive budgeting approach in the Enugu and Nsukka zones of Enugu State, Nigeria ...... 17 Project 2. A gender-responsive budget advocacy campaign to end child marriage in Punjab Province, Pakistan ...... 20 Project 3: Budget advocacy for implementation of district-kevel monitoring committees to end child marriage and to fund Women’s Safe Houses to support married girls in Sindh Province, Pakistan ...... 23 Project 4: Linda Mtoto (Protect a Child), Kilifi County, Kenya ...... 26 Project 5: Child protection through budget advocacy to end child marriage in the communes of Est-Mono and Anié, Togo ...... 29 Project 6: Budget allocation for the prevention of formal or informal, early, child / adolescent unions in Mexico: The case of the SIPINNA and its application at the federal, state and municipal level ...... 32

CFME-T Coalition pour la Fin du Mariage des Enfants au Togo (Togo National Coalition to End Child Marriage) CSOs Civil Society Organisations EVAC Ending Violence Against Children FACES Formation, Awareness and Community Empowerment Society, Pakistan FP2020 Family Planning 2020 GBV Gender-Based Violence IBP International Budget Partnership IMF International Monetary Fund INGOs International Non-Government Organisations KMYDO Kenya Muslim Youth Development Organisation M&E Monitoring and Evaluation ODA Official Development Assistance OMM Observatorio de Mortalidad Materna en México (Maternal Mortality Observatory in Mexico) RELUTET Réseau de Lutte contre la Traite des Enfants au Togo (Network to Combat Child Trafficking in Togo) SIPINNA El Sistema Nacional de Protección Integral de Niñas, Niños y Adolescentes (National Integrated Child and Adolescent Protection System) SIRP Society for the Improvement of Rural People, Nigeria UN United Nations UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund UN Women United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

This paper contributes to an emerging area of work within the global movement to end child marriage: how to hold governments to account for the implementation of national Lesson 1: Civil society organisations policies and programmes that prevent and have a unique role to play in holding respond to child marriage across sectors and governments to account for their at different levels. Within this, it also budgetary commitments to address child considers how to influence public budgets marriage. and mobilise a government’s domestic Civil society must negotiate resources to ensure implementation efforts Lesson 2: reach the local level – and especially the girls their role as both advocates and – that need them most. “encouraging friends” to government in their budget advocacy work. Specifically, this paper highlights the critical role that civil society organisations (CSOs) Lesson 3: Strong relationships between can play in budget advocacy to address child civil society and key stakeholders – marriage, traditionally an area of work often government officials, parliamentarians, inaccessible to those who do not work the media, other civil society within the technical realms of government organisations, community leaders and planning and budgeting processes. young people – are key to budget advocacy success. For the global movement to end child marriage, the lessons opposite demonstrate Lesson 4: Budget advocacy on child how and why all stakeholders at different marriage helps lift the political profile of levels and across sectors must work in an the issue at the sub-national level. intentional and informed way to ensure that Lesson 5: A solid budget analysis is a public budgets reflect the needs of – and powerful tool that complements other work for – adolescent girls who are at risk of advocacy strategies. Civil society must child marriage or are already married. leverage technical expertise to conduct budget analyses and ensure budget advocacy is supported by strong data. Lesson 6: Budget advocacy is not a one-off – it is a long-term process to engage with as part of a broader advocacy plan.

1 PICTURED: Danha, 18, helps during a “Let Girls Lead” workshop to raise awareness of child marriage in Guatemala. Photo: Girls Not Brides/James Rodríguez

Girls Not Brides’ work on budget advocacy must be planned for, costed and funded stems from the need for governments to across sectors in public budgets. “walk the talk” and demonstrate concrete Governments must take responsibility for political will to end child marriage. A public ensuring that these programmes are budget is important because it is the chief delivered and effective. These public funds instrument by which governments make must be spent effectively, with an improved decisions that most accurately reflect their flow and effective use of budgeted resources social and economic priorities. It is through for system strengthening and service budgetary allocation that a government can delivery in health, education and child tangibly show that it is committed to protection and social welfare, especially at meeting the needs of its people, especially the sub-national level. the most vulnerable. For this reason, the budget advocacy Girls The decisions governments make about Not Brides focuses on specifically relates to funding policies, programmes and services advocacy for nationally-generated domestic for girls have a direct impact on many resources spent by governments, rather than aspects their lives – their health, education, official development assistance (ODA) or safety and protection from violence. Delayed any other interventions paid for by civil salary payments for teachers, due to poor society organisations or the private sector. It funding flows, may result in high teacher also focuses on public expenditure at the absenteeism and reduce the quality of national/central level and at the sub- education delivered in schools.1 A lack of national level by local government, whether health supplies, due to poor costing or the the financing comes from central inequitable distribution of funds, may result government or from locally-generated in devastating health outcomes for a teenage government revenue. mother or her newborn child. Married girls As the global movement to end child who are victims of domestic violence are marriage has grown over the past nine years, often unable to access safe houses or there has been increased recognition that to gender-based violence (GBV) support achieve change that meets the scale of the services, because child protection systems, problem – over 12 million girls are married social welfare services and local law each year – it is necessary to move from a enforcement do not have the funding or project-based approach to child marriage capacity to run such a service despite into comprehensive multi-sectoral policy overwhelming demand. solutions that are led and owned by Interventions that address child marriage – governments. and enable girls to fulfil their potential –

1 For more information see UNICEF’s Engagements in Influencing Domestic Public Finance for Children (PF4C): A Global Programme Framework. 2

This shift has led to over 40 governments them by their government. As most are with high-prevalence, high-burden2 or under-resourced, they are consequently also hotspots of child marriage having developed largely unimplemented. This is partly or now being deeply in the process of because it is usually the Ministry of developing national policies to end the Gender/Social Welfare/Women/Children or practice.3 These national policies are in equivalent which holds the mandate as lead addition to existing government policies ministry to coordinate and spearhead the that indirectly support child marriage implementation of the national policy. This prevention and response through the ministry generally has the largest mandate education, health, child protection/ending to deliver on social welfare and gender violence against children (EVAC), gender, issues, yet tends to have fewer resources and youth, GBV and humanitarian sectors. reduced political influence compared to While dedicated national policies help with other line ministries. Therefore, prospects political agenda-setting, it is important that for implementation of a national policy child marriage is not then seen as a “stand- generally remain low. alone” issue rather than the multi-sectoral In this context, Girls Not Brides members are issue it is. Interventions to end child engaging in budget advocacy with the marriage must be mainstreamed and explicit intention of advancing policy goals. integrated across and into relevant sectors. That is, the implementation of national These 40-plus government-led policies strategies, National Action Plans and other provide an important framework for holistic sectoral government policies and and comprehensive government action to programmes that will contribute to ending end child marriage. However, only a few of child marriage in a country. these have had public funds allocated to

PICTURED: Youth activist with world map at the Girls Not Brides global meeting. Photo: Girls Not Brides/ Graham Crouch

2 UNICEF global databases 2018, based on Multiple population data from United Nations, Department of Indicator Cluster Surveys, Demographic and Health Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2017). Surveys and other national surveys. Highest burden is World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision, DVD based on the number (in thousands) of women 20-24 years Edition. old who were first married or in union before they were 18 3 This does not include national policies which pre-dated years old. Based on population in 2017. From the the global movement to end child marriage. 3

There is growing evidence that civil society Strategic advocacy: the ability to get the participation in public budgeting can have a word out about a campaign, mobilise the significant impact on budget processes, public and reach out to policymakers and policies and outcomes.4 other stakeholders. Girls Not Brides’ approach to budget It is by combining these two elements, and advocacy is aligned with that of the often the different kinds of organisations in International Budget Partnership, which which those different skills reside, that civil suggests that budget advocacy is most society can influence public budgets effective when it combines two key elements: effectively.5 Each of the six pilot projects combined these elements, as explored below. Budget analysis: the capacity to secure budget information, analyse it and explain its implications in clear and compelling ways.

The Girls Not Brides secretariat has been 2019.7 The latter brought together key working on budget advocacy to end child stakeholders (Girls Not Brides member marriage since January 2018. This work has organisations, UN agencies and other included research, scoping and discussions experts) to discuss challenges, lessons with interested stakeholders and experts in learned and ways forward on budget budget advocacy, gender-responsive advocacy for the global movement to end budgeting and public financial management child marriage. fields. The work has included a session with Following the Nairobi workshop, the Girls key members and experts at the Girls Not Not Brides secretariat convened a Working Brides Global Meeting in Kuala Lumpur in Group on Budget Advocacy to End Child June 2018, a leadership development pipeline Marriage. The Working Group – made up of with self-nominated Girls Not Brides member civil society members, UN agencies and other organisations working on budget advocacy in stakeholders and experts working on budget different countries, capacity building using advocacy – continues to unpack the the online UN Women Gender-Responsive complexities of this work and share Budgeting training6 for members and a information and resources. Through this workshop on the topic in Nairobi in March process, it became clear that Girls Not Brides

4 For more information see the International Budget 6 UN Women’s online Gender-Responsive Budgeting Partnership website. training. 5 For more information see the International Budget 7 Girls Not Brides Workshop on Budget Advocacy to Partnership website. End Child Marriage, March 2019. 4

member organisations were already national policies and programmes that undertaking effective, but often address child marriage. undocumented, work on budget advocacy on child marriage and adolescent girls in often  Familiarise other actors who are part of resource-poor settings across different the global movement to end child sectors. marriage with the budget advocacy approach, understanding that there is no The secretariat therefore decided to such thing as a “child marriage budget” showcase the vital role of civil society in and that it is essential to advocate across budget advocacy by strengthening the government sectors and at national and evidence base and providing real-life sub-national levels. examples from its members’ work. Girls Not Brides funded small pilot grants for members  Build learning about how civil society can to shine a light on the budget advocacy work effectively influence public budgets and they were undertaking at the sub-national sectoral planning processes to ensure sufficient resources are provided for level, with the overall aim to: relevant child marriage interventions in  Document and showcase the critical role those sectors. civil society plays in holding governments to account in funding and implementing

5 PICTURED: Opening plenary at Girls Not Brides global meeting. Photo: Girls Not Brides/Graham Crouch

This discussion paper was developed on the budget documents – Monitoring and basis of a review and analysis of current Evaluation (M&E) information and pre- literature through the scoping and /mid-term/end-of-project reports from each background work initiated from January of the six pilots. 2018, discussions with member organisations Following a competitive application process and the outcomes of the six pilot projects. amongst the Girls Not Brides member The key lessons learned were formed organisations engaging in the secretariat’s through an analysis of all project documents, budget advocacy work over the previous 18 project outputs – including photos, media months, the following pilots were selected: reports, budget analyses and government

Gender-responsive budgeting in Enugu State, Nigeria: Society for the Improvement of Rural People (SIRP)

Gender-responsive budget advocacy campaign to end child marriage in Punjab province, Pakistan: Formation, Awareness and Community Empowerment Society (FACES) Pakistan

Budget advocacy for implementation of district-level monitoring committees and Women’s Safe Houses to support ending child marriage in Sindh province, Pakistan: Peace Foundation

Linda Mtoto budget advocacy project in Kilifi County, Kenya: Kenya Muslim Youth Development Organisation (KMYDO)

Budget allocation for the prevention of formal, informal and early unions for children and adolescents in Chiapas state, Mexico: The case of the National Integrated Child and Adolescent Protection System and its application at the federal, state and municipal level: Observatorio de Mortalidad Materna en México (OMM)

Child rights and protection through budget advocacy to end child marriage in Est-Mono and Anié communes, Togo: Réseau de Lutte contre la Traite des Enfants au Togo (RELUTET) on behalf of the Coalition pour la Fin du Mariage des Enfants au Togo (CFME-T) (Togo National Coalition to End Child Marriage)

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Projects were proposed and designed by budgetary processes, and raise government Girls Not Brides member organisations to officials’ awareness of child marriage and its ensure a local and contextual focus for impact on their work, sector or agency’s budget advocacy, and selected based on mandate. their potential capacity to be catalytic in All the projects’ budgets were between terms of: US$4,000 and $10,000, had a three-month  Directly influencing budget lines and implementation period from September to processes November 2019, focused work at the sub- national level (i.e. county level in Kenya,  Building capacity for budget analysis or state level in Mexico and Nigeria, provincial budget advocacy of CSOs, government level in Pakistan and commune level in officials and other relevant stakeholders Togo) and had M&E, documentation and  Institutionalising child marriage learning components included throughout interventions across one or more sectors the project cycle.

 Holding the government to account for The Girls Not Brides secretariat provided the their budget commitments to end child six projects with financial support and marriage and support adolescent girls technical assistance throughout implementation and follow-up. Analysis across the six projects showed some commonalities in the projects’ implementation. To aid in analysis, these were loosely grouped into four aspects of project implementation:

 Budget analysis

 Validation and sharing budget information with all stakeholders

 Budget advocacy campaign, lobbying and media engagement

 Securing budgetary commitments from government While not all projects followed each of these aspects in a linear fashion, or implemented each area in an exacting way, this grouping helped in the broader analysis of the key lessons learned with regards the role of civil society in budget advocacy. Each of the projects also included cross- cutting activities to build stakeholder capacity in budget information and

PICTURED: A budget advocacy campaign poster produced by FACES, Pakistan. Photo: Girls Not Brides/FACES 7

This paper details a number of lessons As a result, this paper provides an insight learned that were collated through analysis into diverse approaches and ways of across each of the six pilots designed and influencing budget outcomes, it is not a implemented by Girls Not Brides civil society comparative analysis or a systematic review. member organisations. Each project was The short-term nature of the pilots and the distinctive in terms of the focus, scope, light-touch evaluation means that it is not budget lines and project targets the relevant yet possible to draw conclusions on their organisation was seeking to influence within long-term impact on government budgets government. The projects were therefore and policies. The pilots were also funded by adapted to the local context, and to different the Girls Not Brides secretariat, meaning government budgeting and decision-making that complete impartiality in reporting their processes. work or analysis is not possible.

on governments to take action for girls, where other actors are unable to do so or lack the mandate to play a direct advocacy role. Equally, having a conversation with government officials that is based on credible evidence, hard budget data and a government’s own documents also moves the conversation between CSOs and government into a technical space of CSOs have a range of roles in this process: negotiation around the concrete “how to” of monitoring budgets and expenditure, policy implementation. advocating for budget transparency and accountability, acting as “watchdogs,” However, limitations still exist in terms of monitoring quality of service provision for the extent to which civil society can girls – including in health, education and influence different stages of the budget cycle child protection-related systems and and the overall decision-making process. services – and engaging and mobilising One recurring challenge is the general other CSOs and young people in budgetary absence of information on budgetary issues issues related to child marriage. – especially in accessible, non-technical forms – which can hinder CSO participation. CSOs have a key value-add in budget The monopoly on budget information and advocacy work, in that they ensure that the processes ensures that budgetary matters technical budget data produced from a remain a technical area of expertise planned budget analysis is then used as part of a and executed within government, with broader advocacy strategy to apply pressure 8

relatively few clear entry points for informed “When engaging with a civil society input. Finding opportunities for CSOs to effectively influence these processes controversial issue like this […] do remains a challenge. not impose your views on what Budgets and budgetary processes are often works best. Let it be more of a rigid and committed to fixed expenditures – consultation and a collective effort such as government salaries or multi-year between government and CSOs, and funded policies and programmes – and it at times let the government can be difficult for CSOs to persuade government to allocate new expenditure for dominate and share your girls. Effectively advocating for increased proceedings on budget advocacy." budget allocation without affecting existing KMYDO, Kilifi County, Kenya funding remains a challenge: how can CSOs advocate for child marriage-related budget lines without diverting funds from other no poor contexts where government services less deserving sectors or social issues? may be inadequate or lacking – and as Within all budget advocacy efforts, it is advocates holding government to account. critical that any budgetary “asks” for child They sometimes have to balance these marriage interventions should support and different roles simultaneously. This means enrich other sectors and should not take that when CSOs take on the alternate roles existing resources away from other of service provider or policy developer, they gender/social/sectoral budgets. A potential may need to modify their approach and advocacy ask going forward could be to push exercise both direct and indirect advocacy. for overall spending for social issues, or The reality of working at the sub-national sectoral policies – in health and education, level means that it may not be feasible for for example – that support girls and boys. civil society to only take on a more This could help increase the overall outspoken or adversarial role in holding envelope of public spending for gender and government to account. Their role as the social welfare-related issues. “encouraging friend” of government – conducting quieter indirect advocacy – may be more effective for addressing child marriage and supporting adolescent girls. Civil society advocates and local government officials often work side-by-side – with collaborative, trusting and complementary relationships – to adapt the same national legal and policy frameworks for girls to the local level. Several of the pilots reported that In many contexts, CSOs have to constantly it was important not to treat the negotiate and balance their position government as an opponent and that – when between contributing to policy development working on a sensitive topic like child and implementation, supporting service marriage and budgetary matters – it was provision for girls – especially in resource- critical to consult and work in partnership 9

with them. CSOs found that clarity in the relationships, if one CSO produces different roles and responsibilities of credible budget data, other CSOs and government and civil society – and having a activists can trust and use it in their own good relationship with government officials advocacy. and parliamentarians – was critical to the  Relationships with the media: The success of their budget advocacy work. media is an important ally in reaching target audiences – such as policy-makers – and also for mobilising larger constituencies on budget issues. It is important that they are viewed as a partner and not only a mouthpiece for a CSO’s work. This is critical because it helps the media to see a CSO as a trusted source and partner, in turn making it more likely that they cover the relevant policy issue favourably. Like CSOs, the media can also act as watchdogs on budget advocacy issues. They can help ensure that policymakers focus on child These relationships are critical in terms of marriage when they are overwhelmed what CSOs are able to do with the data with policy asks from different gathered from budget analyses. Examples of stakeholders. Following their budget these working relationships include: analysis, Peace Foundation held a press conference with the Karachi media to  Relationships with other CSOs: The help explain the policy implications of ability to connect with other CSOs their budget data to the public in Sindh working on child marriage was province, Pakistan. This was then important for the validation of budget reported on in multiple newspapers, on data and findings and the formulation of the radio and on social media. collectively-agreed budget asks for government. In Sindh, Pakistan, strong pre-existing relationships between CSOs working on child marriage meant they were able to collectively validate the findings of the budget analysis, which reviewed expenditure for the implementation of the provincial law to ban child marriage. Strong relationships between CSOs can also provide access to wider networks of women and young people, meaning that budget data can be used as part of a broader advocacy campaign to end child marriage. Thanks to these PICTURED: Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Ada Nwoye, being interviewed by Enugu State Broadcasting Service, Nigeria. Photo: Girls Not Brides/SIRP 10

 Relationships with parliamentarians: “We work hard on the participation Engaging parliamentarians can be a critical part of budget advocacy, as they of children and adolescents, it’s will in turn influence the executive on been hard but we’re getting it in the policy and budgetary issues. Depending system. [We engage in] political on the country context and extent to dialogue behind the scenes.” which parliamentarians have power over public budgets, civil society can play a Melel Xojobal A.C., in interview with OMM key role in briefing parliamentarians on in Mexico child marriage issues, increasing their awareness on child marriage, bringing  policy content into parliamentary Relationships with community debates and working groups, and leaders and gatekeepers: The diversity preparing policy briefs and analyses for of stakeholders involved in budget them.8 advocacy can be overwhelming. All six pilots showed the importance of  Relationships with young people: engaging and involving a range of Developing young people’s capacity to community stakeholders in budget meaningfully participate in budget advocacy work to ensure their buy-in decisions and processes helps ensure and support. This may include religious that adolescent girls’ voices and and traditional leaders, teachers, the priorities are not forgotten or ignored in police and judiciary, political leaders, national and sub-national budgets and parents and other stakeholders who may planning. It is often the poorest and have significant influence at the sub- most marginalised who are most affected national level on government budget by a government’s budgetary decisions decisions. (or macroeconomic factors like low economic growth or inflation). Many girls at risk of child marriage – and married girls – are trapped in a cycle of poverty. They are often among the most vulnerable populations, invisible to decision-makers – with their specific needs masked by broader gender or child rights budgets – and severely impacted Specific budget advocacy on child marriage by budget decisions. Working with helps raise its political profile to local young people – especially adolescent government and other actors, where it girls – and providing spaces and entry might be masked by wider child protection points for their meaningful input is and gender issues. In Kilifi County, Kenya, therefore critical to any CSO’s budget KMYDO’s budget advocacy highlighted to advocacy. the County Government the need for

8 More information on engaging parliamentarians to end child marriage on the Girls Not Brides website. 11

research and a situation analysis on child marriage to help plug knowledge gaps regarding its prevalence and hotspots in the county. The County Government was also encouraged to link child marriage interventions to other sector-related policies for girls, such as the existing strategy on adolescent pregnancy. In this respect, CSOs are well placed to help share case studies and real-life examples of the effects of budgetary decisions on girls, and can highlight the impact of child marriage on The pilots demonstrated that budget girls to different government departments analysis is a key tool for effective budget and sectors. advocacy, but should not be seen as a stand- In some project contexts, the implementing alone strategy or end goal in itself. Budget organisation had not previously worked with analysis helps form the evidence base for the government on either budget advocacy advocacy asks and shape the arguments or child marriage. Sensitisation and basic needed to advance policy objectives. This awareness-raising of the drivers and impact budget analysis information can be used in of child marriage on girls, families and tandem with other advocacy strategies: communities was therefore an important mobilising citizens – including young people aspect of their work. This helped increase – on budget issues; working with government awareness of the multi-sectoral parliamentarians to push for budget-related nature of child marriage and their role in decisions to be passed; working with the ending the practice within their own media to highlight weaknesses, bottlenecks agency’s mandate. and wastage in existing public budgets; working with oversight institutions that

monitor expenditure and act as watchdogs on public financial management processes; and advocating for public access to budget- related information and documents. The pilots showed the value of civil society having concrete budget data to refer to when working with government officials. Having tangible data and a specific ask related to a budget line or sectoral plan helps to articulate a clear and detailed advocacy ask for government. This moves the conversation on from civil society demanding that government “end child

PICTURED: Group work with the Frameworks for Consultation of Child marriage” in generic and ideological terms, Protection Actors in Togo. Photo: Girls Not Brides/RELUTET to a more detailed and technical discussion about the “how-to” of ending child marriage.

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The pilots indicated that it is also important gender-responsive budgets. Government to choose one specific sector, system/service officials in several of the pilots recognised for adolescent girls or law to focus on for the this scarcity of data and proposed research budget analysis, rather than trying to and situation analyses on the prevalence of analyse all budget lines for all possible child child marriage within their jurisdiction. marriage interventions at once. For civil Data gaps therefore also present an society, prioritising certain child marriage opportunity for governments to commit and interventions can be challenging, as ending take action to fill data gaps, where they child marriage ultimately requires a multi- exist. sectoral and holistic approach. However, the The capacity to carry out a budget analysis is reality is that civil society cannot analyse or a scarce resource in most CSO advocate to all sectors and actors for all environments, but there are gatekeepers and child marriage interventions at once, so this partners who can support the production of sectoral prioritisation is an important aspect a solid budget analysis. While CSOs should to understand before undertaking a budget not be scared of engaging in the technical analysis. and analytical aspects of budget advocacy, The lack of available gender-disaggregated all CSOs cannot be expected to have the data on adolescent girls or child marriage at expertise needed to conduct an in-house the sub-national level is a challenge, as this budget analysis. However, all CSOs can data and information can inform decisions partner with technical experts and for developing, planning and implementing organisations with the necessary expertise.

PICTURED: Budget advocacy campaign in Pakistan, supported by FACES’s budget analysis data. Photo: Girls Not Brides/ FACES 13

The “gatekeepers” – individuals, organisations, institutions and government entities – that CSOs can work with include:

 Individuals: Academics with backgrounds in economics, social policy, gender- responsive budgeting and public financial management; sectoral financing experts (eg, from health, education and social protection); auditors (as they often understand the financial and public budgeting processes of government).

 Organisations and networks: Think tanks focusing on public policy, social policy, or public finance; UNICEF (Social Policy sections); UN Women (strong history in gender-responsive budgeting work); INGOs with expertise in gender- responsive budgeting/public financing/transparency and corruption issues (eg, Transparency International); International Monetary Fund; World Bank; International Budget Partnership and their partners at the national level with expertise in budget advocacy; public finance/budget advocacy networks; private firms with expertise in public financial management and processes (eg, KPMG or PWC); media networks interested in budgets; organisations working on sectoral financing related to child marriage (eg, FP2020 or education financing).

 Institutions: University departments with expertise in Public Financial Management, Economics, Taxation, Public Policy or Social Policy; national human rights institutions (that provide oversight to public financial management processes).

 Government: Tax offices; national statistical offices; technical working groups within ministries and departments responsible for budgeting, costing and planning; parliamentarians; Ministry of Planning (or equivalent); Ministry of Finance.

By working in partnership with such gatekeepers, CSOs can combine an in-depth knowledge of their key policy issue with a solid knowledge of budgets to produce an effective advocacy strategy and positively influence public budget decisions.

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There is also a big question around the planned follow-up of a budget analysis. Budget analyses may reveal potentially powerful evidence for advocacy – huge gaps in data and research, comparably low expenditure levels, poor service provision The short three-month duration of the pilots and even corruption – but such information showed that it is possible to get some quick is of little use unless it is linked to a longer- wins in budget advocacy – for example, term advocacy plan with a clear idea of how through changes to specific budget line the evidence will be used to influence items or efficiencies in spending or service budgets and related policy processes. provision for girls. However, it is also For civil society organisations which are also important to see budget advocacy as just part of broader CSO coalitions and one tool within the wider advocacy toolbox, networks, and have strong allies within and to recognise that it requires sustained government, the media, UN agencies and advocacy efforts to structurally shift policies donors, there is also a potential question and budgets for girls. In the Kenya and around the role they should play in Nigeria projects, where substantial budget influencing the “bigger picture” and more commitments for girls were made, the next structural change within governments’ challenge is to follow up on whether the budgetary and decision-making processes. government delivers on their budget commitment in practice.

This discussion paper shares key lessons budget analysis to inform broader advocacy learned from six pilot projects on budget efforts, and the way that successful budget advocacy to end child marriage. It informs advocacy hinges on strong relationships an emerging area of work in the global between stakeholders – including the movement to end child marriage: how to government, CSOs, the media, hold governments accountable for the parliamentarians, communities and, of implementation of national policies and course, girls. It also considers how budget programmes that prevent and respond to advocacy cannot be viewed as a one-off child marriage across sectors and at intervention – it is a long-term process and different levels. Within this, it also a tool to use within a larger toolbox of considers how to influence public budgets advocacy strategies. and mobilise a government’s domestic resources to ensure implementation efforts However, the most important takeaway reach the local level – and especially the from these findings is the critical and girls – that need them most. unique role that CSOs can play in budget advocacy, in holding governments to A number of key lessons are highlighted account for their budgetary commitments throughout the paper, such as the to address child marriage. CSOs can work importance of having a solid and credible as partners and as advocates to

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governments and other stakeholders to of – and work to empower – adolescent girls ensure that public budgets reflect the needs and address child marriage.

PICTURED: Participants in a State/Public Dialogue on Budget Advocacy in Enugu State, Nigeria. Photo: Girls Not Brides/SIRP

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Girls Not Brides member organisation: Society for the Improvement of Rural People (SIRP) Pilot funding amount: US$8,330 direct budgetary allocations towards interventions that support adolescent girls A total of 43% of girls in Nigeria are married and address child marriage in the 2020 before the age of 18 and 16% before turning Enugu State Budget. 15.9 Child marriage is most common in the North West and North East of the country, SIRP used key policy frameworks to where up to 68% of women aged 20-49 were strengthen accountability systems and child brides. 10 Child marriage is most increase financing. These were the National common among Nigeria’s poorest, rural Gender Policy Strategic Framework households. 11 Ending child marriage could (Implementation Plan) 2008-13, the National generate an additional US$7.6 billion in Strategy to End Child Marriage 2016-21, earnings and productivity in the country. 12 enforcement of the Enugu State Child Rights Law 2004 and Violence Against Persons In 2016 the Ministry of Women Affairs and Prohibition Bill 2019. Social Development launched a National Strategy to End Child Marriage. 13 The strategy’s vision is to reduce child marriage  Ministry of Gender and Social by 40% by 2020 and end the practice Development entirely by 2030, and is one of the key policy frameworks used by SIRP to hold  Ministry of Education government accountable in this project.  Ministry of Budget and Planning

 Members of the legislature and judiciary In this project, SIRP worked to  Civil society organisations (CSO) institutionalise a gender-responsive budgeting approach to preparing annual  The media budgets in the Enugu and Nsukka zones of Enugu State in Nigeria. They worked to

9 National Population Commission (NPC) and ICF, Nigeria 12 World Bank and International Center for Research on demographic and health survey 2018, 2019. Women (ICRW), Economic impacts of child marriage: 10 National Bureau of Statistics and UNICEF, Multiple Work, earnings and household welfare brief, 2017. indicator cluster survey 2016-17: Survey findings report, 13 Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social 2017. Development, National strategy to end child marriage in 11 Ibid. Nigeria (2016-2021), 2016. 17

o Adjust budgetary decisions and priorities according to the different  Budget lines that support adolescent needs of girls, boys, women and men girls and address child marriage are institutionalised within the 2020 This was achieved thanks to trainings Enugu State Budget, with with 50 policymakers and government approximately US$6.8 million officials, and a State Dialogue on gender- allocated to: responsive budgeting with members of the executive, legislature, judiciary, CSOs o Child/social protection and the media. The official commitment o Primary school completion for girls resulted from a training for Permanent Secretaries and Senior Budget Officers on o Reduction of gender disparity and how to prepare a gender mainstreamed increase of (girls’) secondary school Budget Call Circular. attendance  The media and civil society have o Provision of sanitary pads to girls and greater knowledge of the key policy young women issues affecting a government’s  The body of Permanent Secretaries budgetary decisions and are able to officially committed to gender- influence this at the state level. They responsive budgeting as a framework are also more aware of the role they play for the state annual budget, beginning in monitoring government expenditure in 2020. They will: and can flag up misspending via elected members of the Enugu State House of o Promote gender mainstreaming by Assembly, the media and public considering revenue raising and mobilisation. This was achieved through spending training on gender-responsive budgeting.

o Analyse the budget’s gender-  Relationships between SIRP and the differentiated impacts Ministries of Budget and Planning, Education and Gender Affairs are stronger and dedicated to gender- responsive budgeting from 2020. A WhatsApp group was set up for government and non-state actors to share information on global best practices and resources on gender-responsive budgeting and child marriage.

 A committee headed and convened by Mrs. Peace Nnaji – the Honourable Commissioner for Gender Affairs – will develop a framework to enforce the Enugu State Child Rights Law and Enugu State Violence Against Persons PICTURED: Enugu State Budget 2019-21 now includes budget lines that Prohibition Law. These two statutes support adolescent girls and address child marriage. Photo: Girls Not Brides/SIRP 18

criminalise all forms of gender-based o Advocating for resources within and violence. across sectors, and for child protection and education for girls.

o Improving government transparency  Child marriage interventions should and accountability and citizen-led be linked and costed to a programme participatory budgeting processes. and budget. It can be more effective to work with state actors to agree a few key o Influencing decision-making intervention areas in different sectors. In processes in public budgets – both the Enugu State 2020 Budget, SIRP those on paper, and the “behind the influenced the linking of budget lines on scenes” informal decision-making “Child Protection” and “Completion of processes. Primary School Education” for girls under  CSOs can connect budget numbers the functional and programmatic budget with real-life stories to build an classifications of the Gender and investment case for action on child Education Ministries’ budgets. marriage. Statistics, cost of inaction and  A systems approach supports advocacy economic arguments alone do not and for public spending on gender/social cannot convince governments to take welfare issues like child marriage. This action on child marriage. is because social issues related to child protection and child marriages are often incorrectly conceptualised and budgeted “We shared stories and for, if at all. In the Enugu State 2020 Budget, SIRP ensured the adoption of a experiences of a number of girl systems approach by providing budget child school dropouts in the 17 line items for the social/child protection local government councils of sectors. Enugu State […] due to poverty,  Advocacy should go beyond budget lack of access to school facilities, allocation to address child marriage. patriarchy and the consequent In implementing the pilot project, SIRP result of forced and early deepened their understanding of the complexity of budgeting to end child marriage for these young girls […] marriage, particularly in: We painted a scenario of the o Challenging and influencing policies impact of the practices of child and budgets at the state (sub- marriage on the girl child, and in national) level. that way we were able to secure o Advocating not just for more approval of State actors.” resources, but for a more gender- Dr. Christopher Ugwu, SIRP equitable and efficient use of those resources.

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Girls Not Brides member organisation: Formation, Awareness and Community Empowerment Society (FACES) Pilot funding amount: US$7,831 minimum age of marriage for girls and boys is 18, as defined by the Sindh Child A total of 18% of girls in Pakistan are Marriage Restraint Act. married before the age of 18 and almost 4% are married before 15.14 Child marriage is more prevalent in rural areas. 15 Ending In this project, FACES delivered a gender- child marriage could see a 13% rise in responsive budget advocacy campaign to earnings and productivity for Pakistani address child marriage in Punjab province. women who married early.16 They wanted to ensure that key sectoral Under the Child Marriage Restraint Act departments of Punjab’s provincial 1929 the minimum legal age of marriage is government – the education, health and 16 for girls and 18 for boys. In 2019, a Child child protection sectors – were Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Bill was incorporating child marriage and gender passed in the Pakistani Senate to increase equality issues for adolescent girls into the minimum age of marriage for girls to 18 their budgeting and planning processes. years. Religious political parties in Pakistan FACES focused on three main components: opposed the bill, claiming it to be against  Budget analysis: FACES carried out a Islam, and recommended that it be sent to gender-responsive analysis of Punjab’s the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) before health, education and child protection being discussed in the Senate. However, budgets for 2019-20. the bill was passed by the Senate and awaits debate in the National Assembly.  Budget advocacy campaign: FACES called for more gender-responsive Child marriage has become a provincial provincial sectoral budgets in health issue since many powers were education and child protection, taking decentralised to the provinces and into account the needs of adolescent territories in 2010. The Punjab Government girls. has proposed a bill to amend the age of marriage from 16 to 18 years (a bill  Budget commitments from introducing harsher penalties for marriage government: FACES worked with key before 16 has already been adopted), and stakeholders in government to create a other provinces have proposed similar amendments (Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). In Sindh province, the

14 National Institute of Population Studies (NIPS) and ICF, 15 Ibid. Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017-18, 2019. 16 World Bank and ICRW, op. cit. 20

set of commitments on how they would incorporate budgetary changes on spending for women and girls into the sectoral budgets of the health, education and child protection sectors.

Through the project, FACES directly engaged 75 targeted stakeholders including:

 Government officials directly involved in budgeting processes

 Parliamentarians, particularly women and those who represent parliamentary committees

 Political leaders involved in provincial budgeting processes

 The media

 Other civil society organisations

 Academic representatives PICTURED: A campaign for gender-responsive budgeting run by FACES. Photo: Girls Not Brides/FACES  FACES used their budget analysis to increase awareness of existing gender inequalities in the provincial health, education and child protection budget among key government officials, sectoral budgets. This was in response parliamentarians, civil society, the to: media and academia in the education, o FACES’s budget advocacy campaign health and child protection sectors. strategy and materials, sectoral policy They did this through a campaign, briefs, presentations of the sectoral meetings and dialogues. FACES also budget analyses, calendar and other increased awareness among targeted campaign materials. stakeholders of the importance of using o a gender lens in policy formulation, Events and dialogues with planning and resource allocation. stakeholders, including a Budget Advocacy Workshop and Dialogue,  Government stakeholders and consultative sessions with committed to increasing gender- parliamentarians and government responsive budget allocations and officials. spending for women and girls in the

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 A multi-agency taskforce is planned  Girls and women should be involved for the upcoming budget to increase to ensure their needs are included in inter-departmental coordination. It budgets. Girls’ and women’s voices are will be comprised of 10 provincial largely missing from planning and members from key sectoral departments budgeting processes. Strategies that including the Department of Human include them need to be put in place. Rights and Minority Affairs, Punjab Examples include assigning a designated Treaty Implementation Cell, Women focal person from each sectoral Development Department, Punjab department to liaise with girls and Commission on the Status of Women, women, or to include a girls’ and Planning and Development Board, women’s representative on the FACES Pakistan, Health Department government’s inter-departmental

and parliamentarians. taskforce.

 Government transparency and accountability is an ongoing issue.  There are many cost-effective actions Government structures in Punjab need governments can take to make their reform to ensure that funds allocated to budgets more gender-responsive gender-related budgets for girls and without additional financial women are being used for their intended resources. They can often be purpose and are not transferred technically incorporated into planning elsewhere. Provincial government and budgeting processes, and departments should provide quarterly institutionalised using existing updates on budget allocations received resources. and spent, to improve accountability. All  Gender-disaggregated data is critical budget data should be accessible to the to good budgeting for girls. There are public at all times. many data gaps on adolescent girls’  A budget analysis is a useful tool for needs within the education, health and starting conversations with key child protection sectors in Punjab. stakeholders. An analysis will provide Improved gender-disaggregated data information about gaps and and information can inform decisions opportunities that will underpin for developing, planning and concrete budget advocacy goals. It is implementing gender-responsive also a useful tool to convene budgets. This is key to meeting the stakeholders for discussion and needs of married and at-risk girls. decision-making about specific actions.

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Girls Not Brides member organisation: Peace Foundation Pilot funding amount: US$4,766 and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). In Sindh province, the minimum age of marriage for A total of 18% of girls in Pakistan are girls and boys is 18, as defined by the Sindh married before the age of 18 and almost 4% Child Marriage Restraint Act. are married before 15.17 Child marriage is more prevalent in rural areas.18 Ending child marriage could see a 13% rise in earnings and In this project, Peace Foundation focused on productivity for Pakistani women who ensuring financial resources were allocated married early.19 for the implementation of specific provisions Under the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929 of the Child Marriage Restraint the minimum legal age of marriage is 16 for (Amendment) Act 2016 and the Hindu girls and 18 for boys. In 2019, a Child Marriage Act 2017, including district-level Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Bill was monitoring committees. They also carried passed in the Pakistani Senate to increase out budget advocacy for the funding of the minimum age of marriage for girls to 18 Women’s Safe Houses at the district level in years. Pakistan religious political parties Sindh. They used three strategies in their opposed the bill, claiming it to be against budget advocacy: Islam, and recommended that it be sent to  Advocate and push for the establishment the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) before of district-level monitoring committees being discussed in the Senate. However, the and ensure they can oversee the bill was passed by the Senate and awaits implementation of existing legislation debate in the National Assembly. prohibiting child marriage in Sindh. Child marriage has become a provincial These committees are currently non- issue since many powers were decentralised functional due to a lack of budget to the provinces and territories in 2010. The allocation for their operation. Peace Punjab Government has proposed a bill to Foundation sensitised and mobilised amend the age of marriage from 16 to 18 community members, police and nikah years (a bill introducing harsher penalties registrars (who solemnise marriages), for marriage before 16 has already been helping them understand their function adopted), and other provinces have in addressing child marriage. proposed similar amendments (Balochistan

17 National Institute of Population Studies (NIPS) and ICF, 19 World Bank and International Center for Research on op. cit. Women, op. cit. 18 Ibid. 23

 Advocate for Women's Safe Houses in all recommendations for provincial officials districts to have sufficient resources in to address child marriage. The validation the 2019-20 provincial budget to assist and dissemination of this analysis child brides in accessing shelter, health provided a first opportunity for services and psychosocial and legal stakeholders to come together and support. consider budget allocation and resourcing for Women’s Safe Houses, Women’s  Support CSOs in conducting evidence- Police Stations and the role of the Sindh based budget advocacy using the Peace Child Protection Authority and District Foundation analysis, including advocacy Monitoring Committees. for funding district-level monitoring committees and Women’s Safe Houses.  Collective work and advocacy by Girls Not Brides members in Sindh has improved, and there is renewed  Planning and Development Division enthusiasm and engagement with diverse stakeholders on addressing  Ministry of Finance child marriage at the district level.  Ministry of Social Welfare This was demonstrated through the validation of the budget analysis – an  Child Protection Authority important step in securing buy-in from  Population Welfare Department stakeholders, and consensus over the credibility of the findings. This was  Commission on the Status of Women achieved through a fact-sharing and  Prison Department validation workshop with 74  UN Women provincial office stakeholders. Participants were diverse and comprised of children and  Parliamentarians adolescents from Sindh, 12 Girls Not  Police Government Brides member organisations, representatives from the Human Rights  Religious leaders (Muslim and non- Commission, Commission on the Status Muslim leaders who solemnise marriages) of Women, UN Women provincial office,  Union Council Secretaries (who keep Population Welfare Department, Women records of birth and marriage Development Department, Social Welfare registration) Department, Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal,  Twelve Girls Not Brides member Information Department, Agriculture organisations in Sindh Department, Education Department and Labour Department.

 Awareness of the gaps in resourcing  There is a larger evidence base for for the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint CSOs to advocate for Sindh provincial Act and Hindu Marriage Act has budget allocation for implementing increased. This is thanks to sharing the the Child Marriage Restraint Act and budget analysis with a diverse range of Hindu Marriage Act. Peace Foundation stakeholders. produced a report with budget allocation

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o Two hundred hard copies of the report were sent to key stakeholders in Sindh, including the Chief Minister of Sindh,  A budget analysis and its Minister for Finance, Interior Minister, dissemination can help Girls Not Minster for Law and Parliamentary Brides member organisations work Affairs, Speaker of Sindh Assembly, together and advocate collectively. Chief Secretary of Sindh, Secretary of The budget analysis, report and Finance, Governor of Sindh, Leader of associated activities for sharing data – Opposition in Sindh Assembly (Shehla such as the validation workshop and press Raza), Minister for Women conference – helped to connect Peace Development, and a Member of the Foundation with 12 other Girls Not Brides National Assembly (Shamim Ara member organisations in Sindh, and Panhwar). resulted in them working collectively around a common advocacy objective. o Five Girls Not Brides member organisations hosted a press  Solid budget data helps CSOs conduct conference with the Karachi Press Club evidence-based budget advocacy, to share the budget analysis data with which in turn helps governments the media, including five television make evidence-based budget networks and 11 newspapers. The press decisions to support girls and women. conference resulted in nine news Concrete information on provincial articles on the budget analysis. budgets and processes produced by the budget analysis helped Peace Foundation  Key stakeholders are more aware of and other Girls Not Brides members the impact of budget decisions on conduct evidence-based budget advocacy. adolescent girls. Civil society pressure Knowing about the budget process, and advocacy to government and tracking and expenditure – and how best parliamentarians – to ensure the budget to influence the process at different analysis findings are converted into action points in the budget cycle – was useful for – has also demonstrably increased. Peace tracking and analysing existing budget Foundation helped form a pressure group allocation and expenditure. It also helped to influence government budget to calculate estimates for the resources allocations, and organised meetings with needed to run District Monitoring CSOs and female Provincial Assembly Committees and Women’s Safe Houses. members to come together and work for

women’s rights in Sindh.

PICTURED: A gender-responsive budgeting workshop run by Peace Foundation. Photo: Girls Not Brides/Peace Foundation

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Girls Not Brides member organisation: Kenya Muslim Youth Development Organisation (KMYDO) Pilot funding amount: US$7,500  Influencing the costed annual work plan of the Department of Gender, Social A total of 23% of Kenyan girls are married Services, Culture and Sports and the 20 before the age of 18 and 4% before 15. Department of Youth Affairs to feed into Child marriage rates in the country vary the County Fiscal Strategy Paper across regions and among ethnic groups, and is most common in North Eastern  Prioritising child marriage in other Province (56%), followed by the Coast related planning and budget documents Province (41%) and Nyanza (32%).21  Supporting a pool of dedicated advocates Child marriage in Kenya is exacerbated by to promote budgets that address child poverty, level of education, natural disasters, marriage. This included facilitating conflict and displacement, other harmful budget advocacy meetings with the traditional practices such as female genital Ministry and County Assembly Budget mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), beading and Committee and influencing budget bride price, 22 adolescent pregnancy, and advocacy discussions during public poor awareness and enforcement of laws. 23 forums. The Marriage Act 2014 sets the minimum legal age of marriage at 18 years with no exceptions.24 The Gender Department and  Government officials involved in planning Anti-FGM Board within the Ministry of and budgeting processes of the Public Service, Youth and Gender led the Department of Gender, Social Services, development of a draft National Plan of Culture and Sports, Department of Youth Action on Child Marriage in 2016, but this is Affairs - County Government of Kilifi still under development.  Ministry of Planning

 Ministry of Health

In the Linda Mtoto project, KMYDO worked  County Assembly Budget Committee to increase the County Government of  Civil society organisations (CSO) Kilifi’s 2020-21 budget to address child marriage. They did this by:

20 Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Demographic and 23 UNICEF, Situation Analysis of Children and Women in Health Survey 2014, 2015. Kenya 2017, 2018, 21 UNICEF, Situation Analysis of Children and Women in https://www.unicef.org/kenya/media/136/file/SITAN- Kenya 2017, 2018. 21 Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, report-2017-pdf.pdf Demographic and Health Survey 2014, 2015. 24 Marriage Act, 2014, https://data.unicef.org/wp- 22 UN CEDAW, Concluding observations on the eighth content/uploads/2017/12/The-MARRIAGE-ACT- periodic report of Kenya, 2017, p.5. 2014_Kenya.pdf 26

 Child marriage was prioritised in  Project orientation meetings were county budget and planning extremely important to sensitise documents and the general attitudes and stakeholders to the issue of child behaviours of government officials marriage, its impacts and towards adolescent girls and child consequences, and to debunk myths marriage has changed. This was due to and stereotypes related to the meetings and workshops with practice. This was particularly useful for government stakeholders to orient and government officials who may have been sensitise partners to the project aims; hearing about child marriage for the first workshops with ministry officials to time. They were also useful for develop, peer review and finalise the highlighting the links between child annual work plan; and budget advocacy marriage and related issues for adolescent meetings between ministries and the girls – such as adolescent pregnancy – in County Assembly Budget Committee. the county. The orientation meetings were also critical for getting everyone on  Tangible costed budget lines to board to ensure partnership and address child marriage were included collaboration from the beginning. in the Kilifi County annual work plan and will be submitted to the Ministry of  Shining a light on child marriage Planning for inclusion in the County helps to raise its profile where it may Fiscal Strategy Paper for the 2020-21 otherwise be invisible among wider county budget. The two costed activity child protection and gender issues. lines on ending child marriage are: KMYDO’s specific focus on child marriage increased the likelihood of it o County campaign on ending child being addressed in the annual work plan. marriage (estimated cost: 7 million It also highlighted the need for more Kenya shillings, KSh). This will research and information on child sensitise 10,500 girls, boys, women and marriage in Kilifi County, evidenced by men (100 per ward) to the effects of calls from within and outside government child marriage in order to reduce the for a study to highlight the prevalence number of cases, and increase and hotspots of the practice. reporting and responses.  Linking child marriage to other issues o Development and dissemination of a affecting adolescent girls (and vice county strategy to end child marriage versa) can open doors and increase (estimated cost: KSh7 million). This awareness of the multi-sectoral will sensitise 7,500 girls, boys, men and nature of child marriage. Prior to the women (100 per ward) to the strategy. project, the Kilifi County Government had an adolescent pregnancy strategy that was not linked to any child marriage issues. By using data and human stories, KMYDO was able to make this link and the government realised they should be

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looking at the two issues and strategies in a credible position to recommend the an interconnected way. prioritisation of different budgets to government.  CSOs can partner with government for budget advocacy success. It is important for CSOs to work “When engaging with a collaboratively and in partnership with controversial issue like this one government on a sensitive topic like child […] do not impose your views on marriage. what works best. Let it be more of  CSOs can link girls’ lived experiences a consultation and a collective to budgets. CSOs can share case studies and real-life examples of the effects of effort between government and budget decisions on girls, and can CSOs.” highlight the impacts to different KMYDO government sectors. This can put them in

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Girls Not Brides member organisation: Réseau de Lutte contre la Traite des Enfants au Togo (RELUTET) on behalf of the Coalition pour la Fin du Mariage des Enfants au Togo (CFME-T) Pilot funding amount: US$9,951 formation of a national coalition to end child marriage (the CFME-T) in 2017. A total of 22% of girls in Togo are married before the age of 18 and 6% are married before 15.25 Child marriage in Togo is driven In this project, RELUTET strengthened child by level of education and poverty, and is protection outcomes in Togo through linked to harmful traditional practices and budget advocacy to end child marriage. They ideas of “family honour.” Forced marriage is implemented the project in the two common in the northern part of Togo and communes of Est-Mono and Anié on behalf the Vogan region.26 Virginity is highly of the CFME-T. RELUTET built on work the valued and parents may marry their coalition had already completed in seven daughters early for fear of them becoming communes, and focused on: pregnant.  Advocacy and capacity building for local Under the Code of the Child 2007, the communal authorities to integrate child minimum legal age of marriage is 18 years. protection budget lines into communal However, marriage at 16 is possible if there is budgets serious cause and judicial and parental  Promoting the agency of young people consent.27 In terms of policy frameworks, the and civil society in those communes to Togolese Ministries of Education, Gender gain knowledge of child rights-sensitive and Health developed a National budgeting and to hold local authorities Programme against Child Marriage and accountable with regards child Teenage Pregnancy (2015-19), which focuses protection-related budget lines, including on providing social protection to girls who on child marriage are married as children. RELUTET, Réseau des Organisations pour la Lutte contre la Maltraitance, l’Abus et l’Exploitation Sexuelle des Enfants (ROMAESE), and the BorneFonden led the

25 Ministère de la Planification, du Développement et de consequences of a refusal, and the treatment by society and l’Aménagement du Territoire, Ministère de la Santé et ICF the government of women who refuse a forced marriage; International, Enquête démographique et de santé au Togo state protection and services, 2013. 2013-2014, 2015. 27 OECD Social Institutions & Gender Index, Togo, 2014. 26 Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Togo: Forced marriage, particularly in Lomé, including its prevalence, the 29

 Municipal authorities and local elected officials committed to involving children  Municipal authorities, mayors and elected and young people in budgetary decision- officials making processes. They demonstrated  Child protection actors this by developing child-sensitive budgets through action plans.  Prefectural Children's Advisory Councils (the main body for strengthening the  Civil society and young people can participation of children in monitoring monitor and hold local municipal actions relating to children's rights in authorities accountable through budget Togo) monitoring and advocacy. They can also intervene more effectively in municipal  Children and young people who are budget development processes. This was members of Prefectural Children's achieved through training for 20 young Advisory Councils people from the Prefectural Children's  Togo coalition civil society organisations Advisory Councils (CCPEs, for its initials (CSO) in French) – the main body for strengthening children’s participation in monitoring actions on child rights in Togo. This training helped strengthen  Municipal authorities and local knowledge and attitudes to child rights, elected officials in two municipalities and highlighted the importance of have greater knowledge of child involving children's and young people's protection frameworks and have organisations in actions to end child action plans for developing child- marriage and in developing and sensitive budgets that address child monitoring municipal budgets. marriage. This resulted from:  Collaboration between local o Training for 29 municipal authorities municipal authorities and local in Anié commune to build their elected officials, child protection capacity to prepare municipal budgets actors, civil society and young people that address child marriage. is stronger. This collaboration has Participants included mayors and continued beyond the life of the project, municipal councillors responsible for as shown in the follow-up support and defining actions and budgets in their monitoring meetings with municipal respective territories. authorities, organised to ensure the o Training for 20 child protection actors implementation of action plans and check on budget advocacy to end child in with and support child protection marriage. The training covered the actors and members of CCPEs on their municipal budget development respective action plans. process, responsibilities of child protection actors, and advocacy and budget monitoring techniques.

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“The workshop allowed us not only to  “Quick wins” can be achieved in budget advocacy over short know our role in the protection of the timespans. Three months is a short child – and especially in [addressing] duration for project implementation. child marriage – but also to have ideas While some quick wins are possible, on the stages of developing budgets.” completing other tasks within this time frame can be challenging. More time Municipal authority representative may be needed to align with the budget process, conduct a budget analysis, build the capacity of different  Government authorities are more stakeholders, ensure stakeholders likely to respond to child protection understand child marriage, secure issues and child marriage when they stakeholder commitments and action have a good understanding of the plans, and reflect on lessons learned with problem, its impact on girls and their project partners. role in addressing the issue.

 Civil society can effectively monitor  Budget analysis is time-consuming for budgets and expenditure, but time is many CSOs, but is a necessary needed to build their capacity to do prerequisite for budget advocacy. It this. Civil society has a critical role as can sometimes be difficult to access the watchdogs in monitoring municipal necessary budget documents for analysis budgets, but need more time and capacity and to identify budget lines that relate building to better understand the budget directly or indirectly to preventing and process and when to intervene in that responding to child marriage. process to effectively influence a PICTURED: Child Protection Actors Consultation Framework after government’s budget decisions. training in sensitive budgeting. Photo: Girls Not Brides/RELUTET

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Girls Not Brides member organisation: Observatorio de Mortalidad Materna en México (OMM) Pilot funding amount: US$9,304.43 Integrated Child and Adolescent Protection System (SIPINNA) – to improve A total of 26% of women in Mexico are coordination between public, private and married or in a union before the age of 18 social sectors working to protect child and 28 and 4% before 15. Though rates of officially adolescent rights, as well as promote youth registered marriages have fallen in Mexico, participation in the decision-making more girls and adolescents are being pushed process. The LGDNNA is assigned a budget into informal unions, which are four times for child and adolescent care through Cross- 29 more common than registered marriages. cutting Annex 18 of the Federal Expenditure Mexico is a country of young people: nearly Budget. a third of its 113 million inhabitants is aged between 10 and 24.30 Almost 60% of those aged 15 to 19 did not use contraception In this project, the OMM used their five-step during their first sexual encounter and 60% Public Policy Monitoring Model to analyse of adolescent pregnancies are planned.31 the state- and municipal-level application of There are 7.3 million people who speak the LGDNNA’s federal budget and Indigenous languages,32 and rates of teenage programmes. Through policy analysis and pregnancy among them are higher than the fieldwork, they highlight the complexity of – national average.33 and possibilities for – implementing public Thanks to years of advocacy by civil policy in Chiapas, a state with a large youth organisations, children and adolescents are and Indigenous population, and the highest considered subjects of rights in the General fertility rate in the country. They draw Law on Child and Adolescent Rights particular attention to the importance of (LGDNNA), which was enacted in 2014. This civil oversight and advocacy, and of law – and the Federal Civil Code – including child and adolescent voices in the established 18 as the minimum age of decision-making process. marriage, without exception. It created The OMM’s specific objectives were to: diverse institutions – including the National

28 Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública y UNICEF México, 29 INSAD, Report on Early Unions Mexico: A National, State Encuesta Nacional de Niños, Niñas y Mujeres 2015 - and Regional Analysis, 2017. Encuesta de Indicadores Múltiples por Conglomerados 30 EIC, Inter-censual Survey, 2015, Mexico: INEGI 2015, Informe Final, 2016, https://mics-surveys- 31 ENADID, National Demographic Dynamics Survey, 2018. prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MICS5/Latin%20America%20an Mexico: INEGI d%20Caribbean/Mexico/2015/Final/Mexico%202015%20 32 INEGI, National Statistics and Geography Institute, 2015 MICS_Spanish.pdf 33 SINAC, Births Information Subsystem, 2019 32

 Investigate and analyse the budget  Clear identification of the lack of for the prevention of formal and strategies for the reduction of formal and informal early child/adolescent informal early unions, as a basis for unions in Chiapas advocacy.  Identify and analyse the perception of key actors (see below) in Chiapas  The OMM’s Public Policy Monitoring  Document the actions taken by Model is a simple, low-cost and municipal-level government to replicable methodology. The Model prevent early pregnancy and unions comprises five steps on how to monitor public policies, from policy definition and documentation to fieldwork,  Secretariats of Health, Education and reporting and advocacy. The method SIPINNA in Chiapas includes both quantitative and qualitative approaches, providing solid  Civil society organisations (CSO): the evidence to raise awareness and support Alliance for Health, Food and Nutrition the effective implementation of public in Chiapas (ASAN A.C.) and Melel policy. The Model is available with an Xojobal A.C. operative guide (in Spanish) and a

general guide (in Spanish and English).

 A final report promoting connected thinking about budget allocation and the implementation of public policies across the federal, state and municipal levels. The report provides evidence-based recommendations for policy (and budget) advocacy.

 Connection with key government actors and networks of CSOs working to promote and protect child and adolescent rights and share good practices at the state (Network for the Child and Adolescent Rights in Chiapas, REDIAS) and federal level (Network for Child Rights in Mexico, REDIM).

 Greater understanding of the challenges and opportunities for creating and implementing municipal SIPINNAs, PICTURED: The OMM Model for Public Policy Monitoring. particularly in rural areas and in Photo: Girls Not Brides/OMM collaboration with local and Indigenous authorities.

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and how they relate to decisions “The SIPINNA budget should go made at the federal level; and make straight to the municipality, because alignment with local development that’s where the children and plans visible. adolescents are […] though even the o Budget advocacy to increase and state doesn’t have resources.” decentralise funding: advocate for overall increases in the funds TGC, former member of the Chiapas SIPINNA allocated to protecting child and executive secretariat adolescent rights; and promote the use of subsidies to draw down funds

 Civil society can use budget analyses to the state and municipal level. to oversee implementation at the  Local implementation bodies can local level and push for progressive protect child and adolescent rights, federal budget allocations to protect even if they lack the budget or legal child and adolescent rights. The OMM power for direct action. States and budget analysis revealed a reduction in municipalities do not receive financial the proportion of government funding resources from the SIPINNA budget and going to the SIPINNA in 2019. It also municipal SIPINNA staff responsibilities showed that, in the same year, the entire and obligations are not legally defined SIPINNA budget was spent at the federal and therefore unevenly implemented. level, mostly on personnel (almost 70%). However, the OMM found that state and Meanwhile, the municipal president of municipal SIPINNAs can coordinate San Cristóbal de Las Casas donated 50% responses and calls to action, forming of her salary to cover local SIPINNA staff working groups to contribute expertise and coordination costs. This case and avoid duplication. Municipal highlights three areas for civil society SIPINNAs and CSOs can also promote attention: data collection by other government o Use of federal budget analysis and bodies – such as sex and age oversight to: ensure funds are fully executed and secured for subsequent years; and identify relative reductions “[…] the prosecutor’s office in federal funding and advocate for shouldn’t work alone, so we equivalent and progressive spending formed a working group including to protect child and adolescent the municipal police, civil rights. defence, and the two public o Transparency in federal budget prosecutor’s offices [including the allocation and its impact on local implementation: demand the Indigenous justice prosecutor].” publication of expenses, Member of the Chiapas SIPINNA executive achievements, and the methodology secretariat and former director of the used to distribute budgets at the SCLC municipal SIPINNA federal level; highlight local solutions

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disaggregated data and child and  Budgets need to be allocated to adolescent surveys – and can incorporate raising awareness and training those them into evidence-based strategies to responsible for the implementation protect child and adolescent rights. of public policy. Legally establishing implementation bodies is not enough;  Civil society can ensure oversight their personnel also needs information meetings are held and that the and training on their responsibilities and context-specific issues affecting functions. Setting out the powers and children and adolescents are obligations of municipal-level public included on the agenda. Two examples officials in law also provides a guide that of civil society action identified by OMM can be adapted to local contexts. are:  Civil society requests for information o Creating spaces for dialogue beyond at the municipal level can catalyse official meetings – and promoting a action and raise awareness of the vision of young people as subjects of functions and importance of rights capable of proposing solutions implementing public policy. – to influence the agenda on public policy implementation. “[…] Someone requested o Advocacy for migration and Indigenous childhood to be explicitly information […] and the considered in the Chiapas state Law municipalities woke up, they called on Child and Adolescent Rights. us, because they had to respond […] Migration surveys were carried out to thank goodness for the person who inform subsequent programmes. Childhood and adolescence surveys made the information request, in general help raise awareness and because we never had that impact, inform strategies that respond to even though we signed the local contexts. documents.”

Former member of the Chiapas SIPINNA “We work hard on the participation of executive secretariat children and adolescents, it’s been hard but we’re getting it in the system.  CSOs can bring municipal officials [We engage in] political dialogue together to share strategies and good behind the scenes, because during the practices across states. Expanding system sessions you go and approve networks to include CSOs and public guidelines, but there’s no space for officials working to implement and monitor public policy at all levels deliberation.” promotes dialogue and the creation of Melel Xojobal A.C. locally-appropriate action plans to protect child and adolescent rights across a region.

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 Indigenous authorities should be marriage as a rite of passage for holding seen as partners in the community positions; the exchange of implementation and monitoring of money, labour and gifts when a daughter public policy to protect child and is married; and patrilocal residence adolescent rights. Understanding the patterns may all incentivise early complex interrelation between marriage and pregnancy in Indigenous indigeneity, marriage, sexuality, communities. Indigenous adolescents adulthood and migration can help create migrating to urban areas may be able to effective strategies. During their reassess their priorities, but are also background research and fieldwork, the those most vulnerable to early OMM found that the greater frequency pregnancy. These local specificities must of civil unions over formal marriage; the be considered when planning and taboo around contraception and sexual implementing public policy to protect relations outside of formal unions; child and adolescent rights.

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