The Council's evidence is being used by the State Department to improve the lives of adolescent girls around the world.

"A study in Ethiopia found that girls between the ages of 12 to 14 were 94 percent less likely to be married and three times more likely to be in school when they were offered educational support. The program found that community conversation about girls’ education and the harmful effects of early and forced marriage was also highly effective in delaying marriage for girls in that age group.

These best practices have helped inform a new effort by the State Department to tackle early and forced marriage in the Middle East."

Read the full commentary here.