Priyanka Bairwa and Manju Patra, two teenaged girls live more than 2000 kilometres away from each other. One a Dalit girl from an interior village in Rajasthan and the other from the Gond tribal community in Odisha. Both these girls share a common goal they have become symbols of the fright against child marriages and other social evils which confront girls of their age and in their circumstances
They have become role models for girls burdened under the discipline of tradition. They have refused to bu7ckle down under pressures of family and community In their own way they have worked to galvanize the youth, both girls and boys, to take a hard look at tradition and accept or reject what they consider redundant.
With the battle cry ‘we can do anything’ the two girls have set up movements to fight the evils of child marriage. They have fought to bring change in the community to empower the teenaged youth against prevailing social evils.
Never underestimate the determination of Indian teenage girls. India is witnessing the courage and determination of young girls in all walks of life. They are excelling in sports, social transformation, and enterprise. Many have become the role models for others. Today’s young girls are willing to fight against tradition for their right to education, employment and the choice of life partners.
Interestingly many of these girl change makers come from unprivileged families. Many belong to the backward and tribal sections of the society. Despite the oppositions from family and society and with almost no support, these girls have had the courage to stay determined and committed to their cause and their goals.
Priyanka Bairwa
Priyanka Bairwa became an activist after she refused to go through with an arranged marriage when she was 17 years of age. Her family had started looking for a groom when she will still 15 years old. With schools closed and work dried up during the pandemic the pressure to marry her off became strong By October 2020, her parents had settled on a boy from their village.
Bairwa, refused to go through with the marriage. According to the young girl “During the pandemic, every family was eager to marry off their girls. Because expenses would be lower. You’d have to invite less people, there were fewer expenses,” says Bairwa.
“I refused to be caught in a child marriage. There was a major backlash – constant fights. I finally threatened to run away and, fearing I would do something drastic, my family called it off. My mother convinced them to let me study and I joined a college.”
According Childline India there had been a 17 percent increase in child marriages in June and July last year when lockdown was eased. Thousands of girls in the rural areas faced the possibilities of being forced into marriage rather than returning to school. In Rajasthan, according to government figures one in three women aged 22 to 24 were married before the age of 18.
Priyanka not only refused the marriage proposal she joined other girls facing the same problem and to fight for their rights. “I knew thousands of other girls were facing similar problems, being pulled out of school and forced into early marriage.” She starting a movement of young women and girls, Rajasthan Rising, centred in Karauli’s villages to rally for their right to free education, scholarships for higher education and freedom from child marriage, child labour and caste and gender discrimination.
“We began to visit other villages and, with the help of local activists, held meetings, gathering more girls and making them aware of their constitutional rights. Village elders were often wary, many did not allow us in. But we kept returning; soon we had 100 girls in the group.” Over the next few months, their numbers swelled to more than 1,200 and, by March this year, it became a formal alliance, spreading further across the state.
They learned to use laptops and the internet, contacting education officers, political leaders and state ministers to seek meetings where they presented their goal: every girl to receive free education until grade 12, age 17 to 18, along with a minimum scholarship of Rs 5,000 (£49) at the start of every school year.
“I launched the campaign because I knew thousands of other girls were facing similar problems, being pulled out of school and forced into early marriage. Education is supposed to be free until grade 8 [age 14] but never is. Schools impose ‘development’ fees. Scholarships promised to students from marginalised communities never arrive on time,” she says.
The girls took Rajasthan Rising to the streets aggressively campaigning their cause. They painted slogans on walls calling for free girls’ education and against child marriage. They wrote about discrimination, and emailed Rajasthan’s chief minister, Ashok Gehlot, who sent them a note of encouragement. Villagers said they were mad but they persisted in their efforts. “We had a clear goal, to reach vulnerable girls in all 33 districts of the state and demand long-term change,” says Bairwa.
The eldest of four, she was drawn to the cause when she went with her mother to her cleaning job at the offices of non-profit, Alwar Mewat Institute of Education and Development, in the town of Sapotara. “I found my voice there, where I was treated as an equal. I listened in to meetings about child marriage and education for girls. I learned how to create awareness and lead campaigns,” she says.
In March about 120 of the young women left their homes to travel to Jaipur, accompanied by regional education activists, for the group’s first state-level meeting. Over three days, they discussed breaking gender barriers and bringing about change. “Our demands are quite basic, so we are confident we will be heard. It’s clear that if education is made completely free, we can prevent dropouts and, in turn, child marriage,” says Najiya Saleem, 19, a Rajasthan Rising leader from Alwar.
Abhishek Bairwa, the village head of Salempur, is one of those supporting the campaign. “Their demands are important for every home in our village, which is among the most behind in the region. As girls become more aware of their rights, so do their families. I hope it becomes a national movement,” he says.
Manju Patra
Several hundreds of kilometres away in Odisha Manju Patra’s fight against child marriage has been long and persistent. In her community child marriages are widely prevalent and has deep socio-cultural roots Today she exemplifies the transformative power of education and intentionality. She is currently pursuing her bachelors in business management and is a respected youth leader.
Manju was inspired by her mother Sivararti Patra, who is a child marriage survivor. Her mother was married at the age of 14 to a boy barely 17 years of age She gave birth to 14 children, of which only four survived. Her pain, helplessness and emotional and physical challenges inspired Manju to change the narrative of her own life.
She joined a collective of adolescent girls mentored by Oxfam India, in Bhorbata village in Odisha’s Kalahandi district. From claiming her right to education as a young girl to not relinquishing her right as a woman, Manju has come a long way. She is Today she is the president of the women’s group formed by National Alliance of Women’s Organisations (NAWO), Odisha, and sensitises people – via meetings and workshops – about the negative consequences of child marriages and gender inequality.
She is a aggressive agent of change and boldly speaks her mind against social evils like CEFM and about sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). She is determined to spearhead change in her community by mobilising young boys and girls because they will go on to define a better future.
She says, “Without enough exposure and gender-sensitive education, it is hard for boys and girls to make friends but now when we work together, we get along so easily because we are bound by a common cause. Many boys who used to make fun of my brother for helping me in my projects have now joined my mission.”
Not too long ago, she and a few others, fought hard to prevent the early marriage of an adolescent boy in her village. The matter had caste-based complications and was very sensitive. When Manju informed the concerned Child Marriage Prohibition Officer (CMPO), about the issue, there was a huge uproar. She had to face threats and abuses from the boy’s family and could not go to college or even the market.
She mustered the courage to inform the police and even though the marriage eventually did take place, the youth collective of Borbhata village brought this issue up for discussion with the community. They understood what Manju and her team was trying to say, they offered their full support and promised to spread awareness about the same. On Women’s Day this year, Manju was felicitated by the Kalahandi district administration for her endeavour to end CEFM in her village.
Teenage activists discuss child marriage
Her association with Oxfam India and NAWO has exposed Manju to feminist research on SRHR She is using this to spread messages on sexuality, the necessity of choice and consent in relationships, and ending period taboo. She has keen interest in laws related to domestic violence, child marriage, the right to education and women’s rights.
She believes, “As youth, it is our responsibility to spread awareness against obsolete and wrong practices. We can no longer live in ignorance and allow harmful customs to deprive the young of their right to education and health. My plans for the future include starting a business, developing my talent for writing and using thematic poems to educate people about the ill-effects and legal ramifications of child marriage and domestic violence.”
She says it gives her great satisfaction when her youth collective is able to convince parents to give up superstitious, discriminatory ceremonies that isolate girls during menstruation or when they agree to send their daughters to schools and colleges. She says, “Until 2017, before these projects came into being, no girl in our community could ever imagine going to school beyond a certain age. What we are now seeing is the beginning of a revolution.”
References:
livewire.thewire.in/gender-and-sexuality/odisha-meet-the-tribal-youth-leader-who …
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