Antecedents, Consequences, and Activism Strategies of Child Marriage Based on Qualitative Meta-Analysis

Child marriage has been a subject of scientific debate in recent decades as one of the many social harms affecting children.However, a comprehensive perspective encompassing the antecedents, consequences, and activism strategies of child marriage is less reviewed in studies.Accordingly, this paper aims to explain the antecedents, consequences, and activism strategies of child marriage.The research approach is qualitative, and data were collected through a systematic review of the research literature, including 26 Persian and Latin sources, and analyzed using the meta-analysis method and PRISMA guideline.According to the data analysis, the antecedents of child marriage can be explained from four aspects: socio-economic, cultural, psychological, and educational.The consequences of child marriage are also structured in four categories: factors related to physical health, social, family, and mental and psychological.Individuals' activism strategies are also divided into two categories: passive and active.Passive strategies include indifference to married life, leaving the relationship, self-harm, and isolation, while active strategies include vengeful actions, seeking counseling, medical treatment, violence against children, and suicide.Considering the findings, adopting a comprehensive and multifaceted approach to combating child marriage is essential.This approach should include efforts to address the antecedents of child marriage, support victims, and empower them for activism.Additionally, by raising public awareness, the ground is prepared for changing attitudes towards child marriage, and through inter-sectoral collaboration and the development of effective policies, the harmful effects of this phenomenon can be eliminated from society.