Coram International has been engaged by UN Women Zimbabwe to carry out research to identify the factors that define ‘marriage’ as the ‘best’ option for the future of adolescent girls and young women. The other aim of the study is to determine the interlinkages between early marriages, sexual and reproductive health rights and gender-based violence through the documented stories and experiences of young women and men who have married before the age of 18. The research will draw on a ‘socio-ecological’ framework which will consider the complex interplay between individual, relationship, community and societal factors that may all play a role in shaping whether a child ends up in an early marriage. By helping to clarify these factors, and the interactions between them, the model can support the design of effective interventions, that can act at multiple levels to effect change.