King's College London

The latest Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy impact showcase has featured the research of Dr Aisha Hutchinson, Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences at the School of Education, Communication and Society.

Dr Hutchinson has been involved in several pieces of research aiming to improve the lives of adolescent girls in contexts of humanitarian aid and social development, focusing predominantly on child marriage. Child marriage is an issue worldwide that particularly affects girls in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and South America (UNICEF 2023).

Most recently, a post-doctoral fellowship funded by the British Academy in partnership with Terre des Hommes enabled her to undertake a large piece of qualitative research in Jordan and Lebanon.

This project worked with married girls and their families, policymakers, activists and others to examine the social processes causing an increase in child marriage among Syrian refugees.

The research produced guidance for social workers, policy briefs with the Jordanian and Lebanese governments, advocacy materials and a poster with the girls themselves to highlight key themes from the research. 

Dr Hutchinson also recently worked with the Women’s Refugee Commission and Rosario Memorial Trust, a community-based organisation in Zimbabwe, to build a feminist vision for ending child marriage across eastern Africa. The project has secured funding from an ESRC impact fund to ensure that grassroots feminist activists are well trained and resourced to contribute to the humanitarian process to address and end child marriage.

Watch the impact showcase video below to hear more about Dr Hutchinson’s research and its influence on international child marriage practice policy.