Key Social Norms Take-aways This case study illustrates how an evidence-based, gender-transformative communication initiative can begin to shift entrenched social norms around child marriage in Bangladesh. Through entertainment-education and targeted community engagement, the project influenced personal and familial norms, even when broader community-level beliefs remained resistant. The study emphasizes the importance of aligning social norms theory with storytelling to model alternatives and foster agency among adolescents and their families.

Objectives The initiative aimed to reduce child marriage by promoting gender equality, adolescent empowerment, and critical reflection on harmful norms through a multi-platform communication campaign.

Methods A longitudinal panel study (baseline, midline, endline) was conducted across three high-prevalence districts using mixed methods: household surveys, focus groups, key informant interviews, and embedded social norms modules. Exposure levels to media interventions were assessed and correlated with shifts in attitudes and behaviors.

Intervention Details The centerpiece was Icchedana (“On the Wings of Wishes”), a nationally broadcast adolescent drama series developed through participatory design workshops with youth and community stakeholders. Set around a girls’ football team, the series addressed issues such as child marriage, harassment, education, and health. The 78-episode program aired on TV, radio, and social media, reaching over 67 million online viewers and 39 million on television. It was supported by SMS/phone reminders and adapted into docu-dramas for hard-to-reach areas. Grounded in social norms theory and entertainment-education principles, the show aimed to model empowered adolescent behavior and catalyze broader dialogue.

Results Exposure to Icchedana was significantly associated with increased knowledge of legal marriage age, greater disapproval of child marriage at personal and family levels, and a rise in reported actions to prevent early marriages. Positive shifts were also observed in gender attitudes, including reduced preference for sons’ education and increased support for girls’ mobility and aspirations. However, perceptions of community norms remained largely unchanged, revealing persistent gaps between individual beliefs and perceived social expectations.

Conclusions The initiative effectively fostered early shifts in attitudes and behaviors regarding child marriage and gender roles, especially among adolescents. Sustained norm change, however, requires long-term strategies that extend beyond individual transformation to influence reference groups and broader community consensus. The study highlights the power of narrative-driven, theory-informed interventions in challenging harmful practices and advancing gender equity.