Time to Act! A Toolkit for Youth Activists to Help End Child, Early and Forced Marriages and Unions in Asia-Pacific

"Despite decreasing rates, South Asia is still home to the largest number of girls and young women who are married, with more than 40% of the global total."

This toolkit seeks to provide knowledge, tips, and tools on how to take action to help end child, early, and forced marriages and unions (CEFMU) in Asia-Pacific. It was created for young people living in Asia-Pacific - specifically, youth activists and anyone who believes that all young people, no matter their gender, have the right to make decisions about their own lives and shape the world around them. The toolkit was created by Plan International Asia-Pacific in collaboration with the Youth Campaigner Core Group (YCCG), a group of young people who are working in their communities and online to help end CEFMU.

The publication forms part of Plan International's Time to Act! initiative in the Asia-Pacific region, which was launched in 2018. It places a strong emphasis on youth-led activism as well as evidence-based interventions, partnerships, and addressing the root causes of CEFMU by tackling harmful gender stereotypes and cultural norms.

The guide contains the following sections:

Time to Learn - This section offers background information on CEFMU and gender inequality in Asia-Pacific, as well as links to further information.

Time to Act: Getting Started - This section looks at identifying potential action areas and discusses the potential risks to individuals and groups involved in campaigns and how to avoid them.

Time to Act: Roadmap - This section outlines six steps to follow to create a roadmap or strategy for a CEFMU initiative or campaign. The steps are: Learn, Define, Design, Create and Test, Deliver and Monitor, and Evaluate and Reflect.

Time to Act: In Your Community - Because CEFMU is happening in communities all across Asia-Pacific, putting activism into action at the community level, where campaigners can engage people face to face, is considered an effective way of helping to change social and gender norms. This section discusses key stakeholders, key considerations, action ideas, and resources for campaigning in communities.

Time to Act: Online - Sharing information through social media is considered one of the most effective ways to reach many people in a short time, especially when gathering in person is difficult or risky. Related to online campaigning, this section also covers key stakeholders, key considerations, action ideas, and resources.

Time to Act: As an Advocate - Weak or non-existent laws and/or a lack of enforcement of laws on the age of marriage and other related issues like sexual harassment and violence against children are a big part of why CEFMU continues to happen across Asia-Pacific. Advocating for strong laws and policies and their enforcement is vital to ending CEFMU. This section looks at key stakeholders, key considerations, action ideas, and resources pertaining to advocacy around CEFMU.

Time to Reflect - Reflection is important to gain insights that help activists grow as individuals, work better together, and plan more effective initiatives and campaigns. This section offers reflection questions, next steps, and how to share what has been achieved.

Templates and resources - This final section offers tools on how to develop a project planning roadmap and how to test messages and materials, outlines the 7 Cs of effective communication, and offers a list of free online tools for planning, design, and dissemination, as well as a checklist for gender-transformative action.