MEMBERS OF THE ADOLESCENT GIRLS CLUB AGAINST CHILD MARRIAGE
Even though child marriage is illegal in India, the practice of marrying children at a young age continues to be accepted by large sections of Indian society. Nearly half of all young women marry before the legal age of 18, and the situation is even more acute in rural areas.
Adolescent girls’ clubs are on the rise in India. In 2007, UNICEF supported their establishment in 50 villages and 30 tea gardens – estate communities that pick tea – in the Dibrugarh District of Assam, north-eastern India.
“Now it’s not our time to get married,” explains Rumi, a born leader. “We’ll not get to play. We’ll not get to go to school.”
Members of the Adolescent Girls' Clubs Rally Against Child Marriage persuaded the parents and grandmother of Seema, 14, not to force her into early marriage.
