In a village in West Bengal, Anita, 15, holds back tears as her father plans to marry her off to her cousin. Anita’s mother shouts, trying to convince the father to change his mind. After a while, the police come and set the father straight.
In a grassy open area, 300 hundred people, mostly men and boys, are closely following this street play, which spreads messages against child marriage and promotes girls education.
Anita joined a theatre group after her parents planned for a marriage, which she refused. “They arranged my marriage with my cousin but never asked my opinion,” she recalled. “I was very upset. Finally I told my mother that I wanted to study.” Being in the theatre group has given Anita the power to voice her opinion.
Headed under the campaign slogan ‘My childhood, my right!’, a joint initiative between the District Administration and UNICEF promotes the value of girls with a focus on reducing child marriage. The initiative began in 2009 with the aims of raising awareness about child marriage, strengthening adolescent groups and mobilizing communities through folk media and theatre plays. Starting in 30 selected villages, it has gradually spread to the rest of the district.
Girls’ education and their economic independence are seen as key solutions. “It is useless to talk about prevention of child marriage if the girls have no alternative options for livelihood and will continue to be seen as parents’ liability and burden,” explained a member of the Child Welfare Committee. “Vocational training is offered to adolescents in the district but new challenges emerge when they try to market their products. They need new skills.”
Looking back, Anita’s mother said she and her husband felt they were doing a good thing. “We knew the boy and his family. They are rich, and we are not,” she explained. “We were aware that child marriage is illegal, but that is the practice here. But now we know better. All families should take our example.
In a grassy open area, 300 hundred people, mostly men and boys, are closely following this street play, which spreads messages against child marriage and promotes girls education.
Anita joined a theatre group after her parents planned for a marriage, which she refused. “They arranged my marriage with my cousin but never asked my opinion,” she recalled. “I was very upset. Finally I told my mother that I wanted to study.” Being in the theatre group has given Anita the power to voice her opinion.
Headed under the campaign slogan ‘My childhood, my right!’, a joint initiative between the District Administration and UNICEF promotes the value of girls with a focus on reducing child marriage. The initiative began in 2009 with the aims of raising awareness about child marriage, strengthening adolescent groups and mobilizing communities through folk media and theatre plays. Starting in 30 selected villages, it has gradually spread to the rest of the district.
Girls’ education and their economic independence are seen as key solutions. “It is useless to talk about prevention of child marriage if the girls have no alternative options for livelihood and will continue to be seen as parents’ liability and burden,” explained a member of the Child Welfare Committee. “Vocational training is offered to adolescents in the district but new challenges emerge when they try to market their products. They need new skills.”
Looking back, Anita’s mother said she and her husband felt they were doing a good thing. “We knew the boy and his family. They are rich, and we are not,” she explained. “We were aware that child marriage is illegal, but that is the practice here. But now we know better. All families should take our example.
Source: childinfo.org
