Educating Against Child Marriage

Amla’s life is typical of many girls like her in rural India.  Her father abandoned her when she was young and her mother is sick with tuberculosis and asthma. At 11, she was pursued by a 28-year-old man for marriage. The man had a drinking problem and was known for abusing women. When Amla resisted, people in her village mocked, threatened and bullied her in order to force her into marriage. Desperate, Amla and her mother managed to escape to her maternal uncle’s village and set up a simple new home on his land. 

Most of Amla’s friends would not be so lucky; married before puberty to men twice their age in an environment where alcoholism and domestic violence are the norm. It was in this new village that Amla was able to make contact with the Karuna-funded, Nishtha girl’s group after a social worker, hearing her story from community members, reached out. The group raises awareness about women’s rights and intervenes in community issues where women are being abused. Groups of young women meet, learn and discuss their rights, involving parents and the wider community, too. Working together, these girls can change the minds of the world around them, preventing child marriage and domestic violence. 

Over the past year the project has intervened in 186 cases to prevent underage marriages. “When a fellow girl has problems,” Amla explains, “we support her and educate her on how to solve it.” The girls are also supported in their pursuit of education, with resources and grants made available along with educating parents about the importance of girls education with the help of Nishtha’s team. By finally having access to the resources and education they deserve, young women like Amla can become successful changemakers in their community. Even more, their success will advocate the end of gender violence and child marriage for future generations of young women, too.