PARTNERED CONTENT | UNICEF Swapnadisha: Everyone needs a friend like Kiran

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. Swapnadisha is a club/group in the village composed of local women working for preventing child marriages and ensuring girls stay in school.

Through the Adolescent Empowerment Programme, UNICEF encourages adolescent girls like Kiran to mobilize and engage other girls like themselves in their schools and communities through Kanyashree Clubs and learn and support each other. Creating a social network empowers girls to raise their voices against any child rights violation, including child marriage.

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Kiran (above) continues to advocate against child marriage and for girls' education. In her school, she actively engages with girls on issues that affect girls, with support from her teachers and principal. Through the program, girls are given equal opportunities to become independent with priority given to their education. As a result, they are doing well and representing the school at state and national level competitions too. Kiran recalled how she had saved her best friend, Karuna from the clutches of child marriages and the evil practice of dowry. 

"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 think of no other way than going to the police. I was a bit nervous to take this step but it seemed necessary. I had tried other ways and I could wait no longer. A case was immediately filed and the police went to Karuna’s house with some government officials and the village women’s group. 

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."

Karuna was saved from one such marriage and she went on to complete her school education. She is now studying in college. Still, India has the largest number of child brides in the world - one-third of the global total. There is already a noticeable decline in the prevalence of child marriage and in the proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married before age 18 -- from 47 percent to 27 percent.

We still have a long way to go. We need your help. Come forward. Help us stop child marriage.