“I was once a girl living within four walls, but now I am being recognized at state-level forums as a change agent,” said Roopa*, after pausing for a moment to reflect on her life journey as a 19-year-old change agent. Previously known as a child bride, she now holds the titles of a “Movement Leader,”...

In December, at Bangalore’s Vidhana Sabha, together with the State Ministry of Women & Child Development and Ministry of Social Welfare, we held a consultation with devadasi women, children of devadasi representatives from non-governmental organizations, the Child Rights Commission and the Women Development Corporation to discuss issues pertaining to the Devadasis. The Devadasi system is...

Obstetric fistula, eclampsia, puerperal endometritis, anaemia, urinary tract infection, and maternal and neonatal mortality are not random names but these are some of the common health issues faced by girls who become pregnant in their teenage as a result of child marriage.  According to National Crime Records Bureau*, Karnataka accounts for the highest number of...

Coming from the small village of Kollegal district in Karntaka, when 14-year-old Bharati* cleared her class 7 exams, she decided not to give up a school like her peers and walked 5 km every day to a nearby village to attend high school. While commuting daily for school Bharati met and fell in love with...

On a bright sunny morning of July 3rd 2022, 16-year-old Pragya* from Palya village of Chamarajanagar district, Karnataka, passed her 10th standard with good grades in all subjects. After receiving her mark sheet from school she walked home swinging her two long braids, excited to share the happiness with her parents. Little did she know...

When a child marriage takes place, the girl bride is often expected to drop out of school. Taking care of the family, managing household chores and bearing children are some of the notions imposed on girls soon after marriage. Amidst all this, it becomes difficult for a child bride to pursue education, let alone think...

Did you know that as per the Library of Medicine,2018, India has the highest prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy, and is home to the largest number of pregnant anaemic women in the world? Out of the many negative effects child marriages have on young girls, becoming a malnourished- anaemic young mother is a prominent consequence. In...

It was Akhila’s wedding day. She was only 15. She sat on the dais, putting on a bright red saree, feeling like a lamb dressed for sacrifice. She prayed; a soft but sincere hymn. She didn’t want this to be happening. If only she could vanish or maybe fly. She felt so helpless. And then,...

People came running out of their houses, leaving behind the work they were engaged in, to watch what was going on in the streets of Bageppali. Carrying 70×56 cm posters and shouting slogans, more than 850 school students rallied through the streets of the Bagepalli block of Karnataka to “Stop Child Marriages”.       ...

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. – Benjamin Franklin Teachers play an important role in everyone’s life. But for school going girls in the villages of Karnataka, these teachers hold an even more important position as child marriage is a common sight in these areas.  The...