"I was a bit nervous to take this step but it seemed necessary."
"I was worried when I got to know what was going to happen to Karuna. I alerted the Panchayat, our teacher at the school and a women’s group in our village. We all went to see her. She was there in her house, sitting distressed. I have seen her in various moods but never like this. We talked to her father about her situation. He was aware but couldn't do anything about it. He had already given the dowry to the groom’s family and couldn’t call off the marriage suddenly at the last hour.
We returned to our respective houses but I kept thinking I had to stop this marriage. I just couldn’t let it happen. I couldn’t visualize Karuna being happy in this marriage. If she was feeling restless right now, her mental state could only worsen later.
"On the morning of her wedding I could stop it in no other way than going to the police. I had tried other ways and I could not wait any longer. I filed a case and the police went to Karuna’s house with some government officials and the village women’s group immediately.
A tough conversation ensued with her father. He wanted to get his daughters married at the earliest worrying about the custom that the dowry amount increases with age and education level. He was adamant but eventually agreed to wait - wait for the girls to complete their studies. Karuna wasn’t smiling at that time but a few days later I met her at school looking happier than ever."
Help girls like Kiran in the fight against child marriage.
Swapnadisha is a group of women in a village working towards preventing child marriages and ensuring girls stay in school.
- Girls engage in discussions, academics and sports. Education is an important factor for creating equal opportunities.
- Families and communities engage in discussions around the perils of early marriage for boys and girls.
- Karuna was saved from early marriage and she managed to complete her school education. She is now studying in college.
- Kiran (above) continues to advocate against child marriage and for girl’s education. In her school, she actively engages with girls on issues that affect girls with support from her teachers and principal.
UNICEF in collaboration with the Government of India is working to end child marriage in West Bengal and across all states in India. The support includes capacity building of law enforcement and government officials as well as community engagement with influential community leaders, the media and groups like Swapnadisha where girls can freely voice their opinions.
Still India has the largest number of child brides in the world — one third of the global total. We are already noticing a decline in the prevalence of child marriage of the proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married before age 18 - from 47 per cent to 27 per cent (Source: NFHS 4). Help us continue this important work.
Donate today and help us stop child marriage.