Tackling Child Marriage in India

An estimated1.5 million girls under 18 get married in India each year, making it home to the largest number of child brides in the world. Find out how we tackle this through our work in India. 

Dalit children, as members of the lowest caste in India are especially at risk of child marriage and face discrimination at almost every level.

In Bihar State, we support 35 learning centres for Dalit children who are excluded from mainstream school, where staff and teachers make every effort to protect the girls we support from child marriage. 

We know that access to education and increased literacy amongst girls and mothers can help to reduce instances of child marriage and protect young girls from the practice. So, our learning centres offer space where over 1000 children can access quality education and open up opportunities for their futures. Teachers encourage girls to stay in school for as long as possible. 

All 35 of our learning centres are and their teachers accredited for providing the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) curricula. Through this scheme, children are able to take formal exams and certification at our centres, after which they are eligible to go on to college or university, and access a much wider range of opportunities in the job market.

“It’s very difficult for the families to resist the social pressure of local norms and customs, and they yield to marrying children off as teenagers. These children usually discontinue learning completely or become irregular in classes and, in the end, are not able to appear for the examinations”.

Renji Joseph, Programme Manager India

We work closely with parents to help them realise the value of education and encourage them to let their children continue their studies. Staff and teachers provide training in the wider community, make home visits and have conducted awareness programmes for children and women’s groups over the past few years, to help parents see the value in education and the detrimental effects of child marriage on their children.

To resource community members to protect children from child marriage, 10 Community Child Protection Teams were established last year, and consist of trained adults who volunteer their time and link with local officials and services. 

We now have 120 ‘Community Resource Persons’ who are readily available to offer help and support to any child facing violence, trafficking or any kind of abuse in their communities, including child marriage. 

Teachers are crucial in safeguarding students. They maintain child protection registers and are trained to handle and report various cases. They encourage children to report any issues they encounter.

Meena Kumari, one of our teachers, was forced into child marriage at 16. Now 26, she says:

“I am happy to help children avoid the plight I faced. Schools are the safest place for children. Our learning centres help those who can't access formal schools, and I want all teachers to ensure every child gets an education.”

Our ‘Flourish’ mentoring program supports teenagers in dealing with their adolescent challenges and understanding the impact of child marriage, equipping them to seek help.

Usha Kumari, one of the students on the National Institute of Open Schooling programme, was preparing for her Grade 10 exams when her parents announced they had chosen a husband and fixed a date for her marriage. She reported this via the register and when her teacher spent time with the parents, telling them how talented she is and how damaging an early marriage would be for her future, they decided to delay the marriage. 

Thanks to the hard work of the teachers and our partner staff, they have observed that the average age of marriage for girls in the areas where we work has increased from 14 to at least 17 years old.

​Whilst there is still a huge amount of work to be done, it is positive to see that change is happening.