Ending Child Marriage in the Thar Desert

Dear Supporters and Well-wishers,

It gives me immense pleasure to present you all the fourth quarter report July2015-September, 2015 of Girls Not Bride: Thar Extension of Global Campaign to End Child Marriage in Thar Desert of India. This quarter remained highly exciting as well as challenging for all of us. As we all know child marriage is deeply rooted in our societal norms, traditions and religion fuelled by masculinity. Poor socio-economic conditions of women and girl’s child, abysmal literacy, patriarchy and masculinity have been the most prominent reasons of the child marriages in our society. Child marriage not only impacts the children who are married but also the surroundings which leads them to low standard and undignified life. It causes far-reaching health problems and affected badly the quality of their life. We believed that child marriage is one of the most prevalent problems of the current world and a serious violation of human rights. Thus, we are highly committed and determined to eliminate this ill from our society and social milieu. As a grassroots organization with high democratic values and ethics, we imperatively believe in participatory approach, community participation and advocates for the internal positive and attitudinal changes in society. Our integrated strategic approach like building the capacity of Panchayat functionaries, government officials, village community, campaigns to mobilise the local communities and dissemination of information on harms of child marriages have delivered the tangible impacts not only in our specific project area but also beyond that. Thriving with an integrated approach like formation of youth groups as a advocacy agents, training of the village representatives, teachers, front line workers (Aganwadi workers, Accredited Social Health Activists, etc.), regular sessions in the schools with the adolescent girls and boys, counselling of the families prone to the child marriage have led to several villages declared themselves free of child marriage.

We are grateful and extend our sincere thanks to our donors, supporters, media, national and international community, and government for wider recognition of our efforts. We are thankful to the local community, different stakeholders and partners for their consistent support and encouragement in this India’s most harsh, scars and distant region of the Thar Desert.

We thank you all for your support and valuing our work in making positive impacts.

Warm regards,

Arvind

Following are some brief activities, events and intervention performed with the communities –

Training of youth groups-

As we know that Child Marriage is the most prevalent problem deeply rooted in our societal norms, traditions and religion fuelled by poverty and masculinity. In this situation, we build institutions and mechanisms to promote young girls and boys to build their capacity, equipped them with information on harms of child marriages and its effects. This strategy worked out very effectively and has been a very critical force in preventing child marriage in the project area. In this quarter, we have promoted and trained the 518 youth group members in 24 distant villages and consistently build their capacities on the issue of child marriage. During the trainings, we equipped them with legal knowledge, procedures, legal process and strategy to prevent the child marriages.

Training of village representatives, socio-religious community leaders at the grassroots level.

Our field experiences revealed that most of the child marriages are taking place in the societal, relational and neighborhood pressure which were influenced by the so called key opinion, religious and social leaders. These key influential people pose the most legal potions in the society. Hence, training these village representative, key influential and opinion leaders has been a major activity under this project. Sensitizing them around the issues and harms of child marriages and its worst impact in the society, apprising them with “The Child Marriage Prevention Act-20016” has been very helpful in changing their mindset and accomplishing our goals to eliminate the child marriages in the Thar Desert of India.

Meeting with the School Management and School Development Committees

Meeting with the adolescent girls:

Formation of adolescence girls group in the project areas at schools with regular meeting has been a very important activity under the project. Promoting adolescent girls in institution has given strength as well as a platform to discuss the problems and issues to the girls where they can cherish and share their feelings, joy and emotions. These groups have been nodal platform for us to interact directly with them and sensitising them on the harms of child marriages, The Child Marriage Prohibition Act-2006, child rights, POCSO Act etc.

These groups have been very crucial in preventing the drop out especially of the girls. Through these groups from 51 villages, 169 dropped out girls who had never been school were re – enrolled in the school which is a remarkable achievement under the project.

Declaration of Child Marriage Free Gram Panchayat (groups of village):

In the last quarter (July-September, 2015) seven Gram Panchayat council (each gram panchayat is a group of 4-5 villages) namely Lakhasar, Hamira, Sodhakor, Basanpeer, Kadout, Dewa Chhatrail, Bada Bag declared themselves “Child Marriage Free Gram Panchayat” in the warm and dignified presence of their habitants, local leaders and government officials. Urmul Trust team efforts and their work was appreciated and recognised immensely by all. The Gram Panchayats took the oath not to perform and practice child marriage, protecting the rights of the children, strengthening the education system and creating the opportunity to receive the qualitative education for the all children.

During this event the Panchayat took pledge to keep their villages clean and successful launch of the Total Sanitation Campaign.

Life Skills Residential Training of Adolescent Girls.

Under this project, for the engagement of the adolescent girls at the intensive level a two days life skills residential training for adolescents girls was organised by the project management team. The main objective of the training was to build the capacity of the adolescent girls on the issue of child marriage, child rights, child marriage prevention act and enhancing their personality. In this quarter, from 21 distant village a total of 490 adolescents girls undergone the life skill training program.

Open interactive meeting and sessions with the students (Adolescents girls and boys):

Under the project, open interactive sessions with the adolescent students on the issues of child marriage and child prohibition act, child rights, POCSO, were being organised continuously. This kind of open discussions along with the students in the presence of their teachers have been very crucial in coveying the message on the most prevalent problems centering around adolescent students.

These open discussions are pre-fixed where the project management team invites even the children parents. Organising such sessions have rendered helpful solutions in preventing the child marriages and protection of the child marriages.

Thank you

Urmul Trust, Bikaner, India.