The aim of this study is to explore if UNFPA’s work mission and methods direct for greater food security in the future. The analysis is based on one of UNFPA’s main frameworks; ICPD Programme of Action 1994. The analysis is based upon different themes that are recognized as tools for change; family planning, women’s empowerment and gender equality, education and child marriage. The theoretical frame of the analysis is liberalism which has been complemented with social constructivism, and has provided an insight to the discussion. The essay will also investigate whether the different theories can explain UNFPA’s framework, mission and methods.  The method used is a describing qualitative content analysis.    The research shows that UNFPA indirectly implement or propose a great deal that can have an impact on food security. In order to regulate population growth, which is one of the major trends threatening food security, different measures are proposed in the framework. Focus is on governments efforts and gender equality through SRH education. The liberal view put emphasis on human rights and the individuals right to freedom, as well as equality, which was obtained by a greater or lesser degree throughout the framework. Social constructivism could explain ICPD where liberalism failed to do so, such as the lack of emphasis on child marriage due to many societies identity and traditions.

This thesis examines international feminist activism from the late nineteenth century to the present. In particular it focuses on the campaigns against forms of sexual slavery including child marriage. It examines the male sex right as a major cause of sexual exploitation and it investigates claims that similarities between trafficking children into the institutions of marriage and prostitution reflect the power of heteropatriarchy in governing the social model of heterosexuality and the ensuing subordination of women and girls. It argues that challenging sexual exploitation is difficult because of the social acceptance of men’s right of sexual access to women and girls. / This thesis examines the ways in which the ideologies of cultural relativism and sexual libertarianism protect the concept of ‘conjugal rights’ in systems of traditional marriage. It introduces the theory of sexual relativism in order to explain how cultural relativism works in relation to child marriage. Sexual relativism as a corollary of cultural relativism is used as a feminist tool of analysis in order to make the male sex right visible and politically accountable. / Lesbian historiography is introduced in order to document the role of lesbian experience in the lives and networks of these international activists. The inclusion of lesbian existence in this thesis is a unique approach intended to restore historical accuracy to the lives of women who have been involved in international campaigns against forms of sexual exploitation that include child marriage, child prostitution, incest, and other harmful cultural practices. I discuss how lesbians and spinsters, as unhusbanded women, experienced freedom from domestic duties including child care and the sexual servicing of men. Their ensuing independence enabled them to become involved in political work and by forming networks they were able to discuss and formulate their ideas. I explore the relationship between the personal and political in the examination of these women’s lives. In particular I examine the lesbian existence within the political and friendship networks of interwar feminists such as Eleanor Rathbone, Constance Antonina (Nina) Boyle, Alison Neilans, Cicely Hamilton, Katharine Furse and Margaret Haig. The radical feminist approach to this inquiry is intended to contribute to filling gaps in the knowledge base of feminist history and to broaden the transdisciplinary approach to international scholarship.

Studien har syftat till att undersöka hur socialtjänsten hanterar ärenden rörande barnäktenskap. Detta har uppnåtts genom att studera Socialstyrelsens riktlinjer, metodstöd från utvalda kommuner samt genom att utföra intervjuer med yrkesverksamma inom socialtjänsten som handlägger ärenden som rör barnäktenskap. Den insamlade empirin har analyserats utifrån de teoretiska perspektiven barnets bästa och feministiskt perspektiv. Resultatet av studien visar att de studerade kommunerna enbart har metodstöd för hedersrelaterat våld, men inga upprättade rutiner eller metodstöd för ärenden gällande barnäktenskap. Återkommande är att socialtjänsten saknar struktur och verktyg i hur man bemöter barn som är utsatta för risker förknippade med barnäktenskap. För att barnen ska få det stöd och skydd som de har rätt till behöver socialtjänsten ha specifik kunskap om vad hedersrelaterat våld och barnäktenskap innebär. / The purpose of this study was to examine how the social services are handling cases concerning child marriages. This has been achieved by studying the guidelines of The National Board of Health and Welfare, guidelines formed by selected municipalities and by conducting interviews with professionals who handle cases concerning child marriage. The collected data has been analyzed from the theoretical perspectives: the best interest of the child and a feminist perspective. The results of the study show that the chosen municipalities only have guidelines for honour-related violence, but no established guidelines or routines for cases concerning child marriage. Recurring is that the social services lack structure and tools on how to deal with children who are exposed to risks associated with child marriage. In order for children to receive the support and protection to which they are entitled, the social services need to have specific knowledge of what honour-related violence and child marriage mean.

No description available.

No description available.

Decisions about marriage and childbearing, and the subsequent interactions between members of a family unit can have important individual and societal impacts on income, well-being, and economic mobility. This is especially true for women in developing countries, given limited female formal labor force participation, the economic significance of marriage markets, and the reliance on kin networks in the absence of formal safety nets. This dissertation consists of three essays that analyze how individuals form families, how those family members interact, and the subsequent impacts on the well-being of the family unit. The first chapter studies the effects of a rapid university expansion on access to education and family formation for women. The second chapter examines the long-term effects of a primary schooling expansion program on the prevalence of child marriage. The final chapter examines the long-term consequences of early life exposure to armed conflict on family formation. In the first essay, I analyze the impact of increased access to higher education on family formation outcomes for women in developing countries. Using a difference-in-differences design that accounts for the staggered nature of university openings, and a combination of household surveys and administrative data, I examine the impact of women’s exposure to a rapid university expansion in Nigeria in the 2000s on three key aspects of the family formation process - the likelihood and timing of first marriage and birth, their spouses’ characteristics, and the quantity and “quality” of any children produced in the marriage. I find that university openings improved years of schooling and educational attainment among school-aged women, and delayed the timing of the first marriage and childbirth of women. Women also had fewer births, and their children were more likely to have better development outcomes. I show suggestive evidence that these outcomes are driven by increased autonomy - women delay sexual activity and are more likely to work, use contraception and have the final say over important decisions. My second essay analyzes the impact of a 1976 universal primary education reform that provided free primary education to all school-aged children in Nigeria on the prevalence of child marriage. Using data from household surveys, I implement a difference-in-difference empirical strategy that exploits variation in exposure to the reform across birth cohorts and localities. I find that women exposed to the reforms acquired more schooling and the probability that women marry before the age of 15 reduces. However, there are no significant effects of exposure to the policy on the overall age of marriage, or the likelihood of marriage before the age of 18 on average. I present evidence on other marriage outcomes - men’s education increases, as does the spousal education gap. Furthermore, women desire and have fewer children, and are also more likely to be engaged in paid work. However, I find no effects on the spousal age gap or the husband’s age. My third and final essay explores the long-term effects of exposure to violent conflict onfamily formation in developing countries. Using a difference-in-differences empirical design that exploits variation in the intensity of war exposure by ethnicity and age, I analyze the long-term impacts of the 1967-1970 Biafran War on the family formation outcomes of men and women who were exposed to the war during their pre-adolescent years. I find that conflict induces men to delay first marriage and first birth, but there are no significant impacts on the timing of these activities for women. Both men and women who are exposed to the war have fewer children, and women also desire fewer children overall. Additionally, women who were exposed to the war have a smaller age difference from their husbands and are less likely to be married to men who have other wives. They are also less likely to experience domestic violence, on average. War exposure has no effect on the education difference between spouses, but women’s educational attainment increases, on average, while that of men decreases. Finally, I find no effects of war exposure on women’s relational empowerment, in terms of their attitudes to domestic violence and intra-household decision-making, but they are less likely to be engaged in paid work. This study contributes new evidence on the long-term impact of armed conflict on family formation in sub-Saharan Africa and shows how these impacts vary by gender and the age and duration of war exposure.

No description available.

Genom denna studie undersöker jag argumentationen som ligger till grund för den svenska lagstiftningen om barnäktenskap, med fokus på erkännande av utländska barnäktenskap. Jag beskriver argumenten för att generellt sätt motverka barnäktenskap. Därefter utvärderar jag argumentationen för att erkänna vissa utomlands ingångna barnäktenskap. Metoden för studien är argumentationsanalys och den teoretiska utgångspunkten är Kantiansk etik, som jag tillämpar på barn. Den svenska lagstiftningen om erkännande av utomlands ingångna barnäktenskap regleras i Lagen (1904: 26 s.1) om vissa internationella rättsförhållanden rörande äktenskap och förmyndarskap (IÄL). Jag undersöker argumentationen som ligger till grund för 1 kap. 8§a, som förbjuder utländska barnäktenskap, där det funnits anknytning. Samtidigt underkänns tvångsäktenskap, oavsett anknytning, utifrån samma paragraf. Det tycks motsägelsefullt att barnäktenskap kan erkännas inom svensk internationell privaträtt, då barnäktenskap förbjuds enligt 2 kap. 1§ Äktenskapsbalken (ÄktB). Syftet med studien är därför att undersöka om argumentationen bakom paragrafen, är hållbar. Studien visar att flera argument inte är hållbara, främst eftersom de inte är rimliga enligt Kantiansk etik, tillämpad på barn. Det går därför att ifrågasätta den sammantagna hållbarheten i argumentationen för erkännandet av utomlands ingångna barnäktenskap, ur ett Kantianskt perspektiv. / Through this thesis I examine the argumentation founding the Swedish legislation regarding child marriages, with a focus on the recognition of foreign child marriages. I describe the arguments for a general prohibition upon child marriages. Thereafter I identify the arguments regarding recognition of foreign child marriages. I use the method of argumentation analysis and the underlying theory is Kantian ethics, applied on children. The Swedish legislation for recognition of child marriages is regulated within Lagen (1904:26 s.1) om vissa internationella rättsförhållanden rörande äktenskap och förmyndarskap (IÄL). I examine the argumentation underlying the 1st chapter 8§a, which prohibits foreign child marriages, with a connection to Sweden. In the same time, forced marriages are prohibited in any case, through the same paragraph. It seems contradictory that some child marriages are recognized within the Swedish private international law, when child marriages are generally prohibited through the 2nd chapter 1§ of Äktenskapsbalken (ÄktB). Thus, the purpose of the study is to find out if the argumentation, on which the law is based on, is sustainable. The study shows that many of the arguments are not sustainable, mainly since they are not reasonable according to Kantian ethics, applied on children. Therefore it is possible to question the sustainability of the overall argumentation for the possibility of recognizing foreign child marriages, from a Kantian point of view.

No description available.

Implementationsproblematiken inom de mänskliga rättigheterna är en pågående diskussion. Denna undersökning behandlar hur artikel 16.2 implementerats i Gambia och vad det kan finnas för svårigheter i implementeringen av en artikel som behandlar barnäktenskap. Genom fallstudien som metod och implementeringsforskning, Susan Möller Okin samt Sheyla Benhabibs teori gällande grupprättigheter kontra kvinnors rättigheter på individnivå undersöks hur artikel 16.2 i CEDAW implementerats i Gambia. Artikel 16.2, vilken beskriver barnets trolovning och äktenskap, dekonstrueras och utifrån det diskuteras innebörden i artikeln vilket senare jämförs med Gambias nationella lagstiftning. Undersökningen består av att se hur artikel 16.2 implementerats i Gambiaoch vad det kan finnas för svårigheter i implementeringen av en artikel som behandlarbarnäktenskap. Slutligen konstateras implementeringsproblematikens komplexitet och hur ett fall och en implementering av en specifik artikel i en specifik stat inte är den andra lik. Därmed inte sagt att det inte går att eliminera de grövsta misstagen genom att lära av tidigare försök och forskning. / Implementation issues within Human Rights is an ongoing discussion. This study deals with how Article 16.2 was implemented in The Gambia and what difficulties can arise in the implementation of an article on child marriage. Through case study as a method and implementation research, Susan Moller Okin and Sheyla Benhabibs theory of group rights versus the rights of women on an individual level I wish to examinate how Article 16.2 in CEDAW is implemented in the Gambia.Article 16.2, which describes the child betrothal and marriage, is being deconstructed and from that discussed the meaning of the article, which later is compared with the Gambia national legislation. The study consists of seeing how Article 16.2 was implemented in The Gambia and what the difficulties in the implementation of an article on child marriage may be. Finally it is confirmed that implementation issues complexity, a case and an implementation of a specific item in a specific state is not like the other. That said, it is not possible to eliminate the largest mistakes by learning from previous experiments and research.