Why should we stop child marriage?
Child Marriage is a violation of human rights. Every child has the right to be protected from this harmful practice. You have the power to stop child marriage. You can sponsor a child through World Vision India and help them rescue children who have fallen into the vicious practice of child marriage.
Statistics show that one in three of the world’s child brides lives in India. Approximately one in four young women in India were married before their 18th birthday. This harmful practice has devastating consequences for the child as well as the society. We work at grassroots levels to stop child marriages and rescue children. When you sponsor a child you help World Vision India take specific action points for the girl child in each issue — health, nutrition, education, and protection.
Our Community-Based groups like women Self-help groups, Children groups, Child Parliament, Adolescent and Youth groups, and CBO men groups act as watchdogs to protect the girl children from crude gender discriminatory practices. We are now focusing on projects where we can engage men to challenge gender discrimination, rescue children, and stop child marriage. You can sponsor a child and be a part of the change.
“It was a terrible shock for me when I heard that I was going to be married in a few days and I was scared and hopeless after hearing the news. I didn’t want to leave my education and get married, but my relatives, villagers, and parents did not hear me when I begged them to stop” says Reshmi.
When Reshmi turned 15, her parents wanted her to get married. Although she didn’t want to stop her education and become a child bride, she was unable to defend herself from the constant pressure her family put on her. Her parents found a man and arranged the marriage.
Fortunately, Reshmi is a member of her village’s child club, formed by World Vision India. She shared her problem with her friends at the club. They promised to help her and fight for her. The children’s club members approached Reshmi’s parents, relatives, village elders, and the local child protection unit. By uniting their voices, they compelled her family to stop the child marriage.
Reflecting on the situation, Reshmi’s mother says, “We realized that we’d made a big mistake by compelling our daughter to get married at an early age. Now we want her to study well and pursue her interests.”
Our staff approached Reshmi’s parents and counseled them on the importance of education. Now Reshmi is happily continuing her education. She also talks to her friends, classmates, and other young girls about the importance of education, being aware of child rights and together they stop child marriage in their community. When Reshmi grows up she wants to become a nurse and rescue children from child marriages.
Our children’s clubs train children about education and their rights as a child. 23 girls every minute like Reshmi are forced into marriage. At World Vision, we believe that’s 23 too many. You can stop child marriage and rescue children through your donations. You can sponsor a child and help bring an end to child marriage.
There are several children like Reshmi who need your help. You can change their lives today. All you have to do is Sponsor a child.
