Dear friend,
Did you know that in Nepal, 33% of girls are married before they turn 18? (UNICEF)
With few other options for their path in life, many girls are entered into marriage as children - often driven by poverty, lack of access to education, and entrenched gender inequality. This is despite a law that says it’s illegal for girls to marry before they’re 20.
Fortunately for Kavita, she was in a position to say “I do not” to marriage, when she received a proposal as a girl.
“I had seen my sisters’ marriages and all the problems they experienced, so I had the mentality that I wouldn’t marry.”
- Kavita, Nepal
With the strength of her own resolve, and support from Girls Not Brides member organisation Janaki Women’s Awareness Society, Kavita was able to avoid child marriage. But the process of convincing her parents took time, and it wasn’t easy.
Find out how Kavita was able to stand up for her rights and inspire other girls in her community to do the same.
While Kavita was able to decide if, when and who she wants to marry, for millions of girls around the world this is still not a reality. As Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage, we are working to change that with our member organisations every single day.
Thank you for your ongoing support and for being part of the movement to end child marriage. If you enjoyed reading Kavita’s story, you can help raise awareness of how child marriage can end by sharing this tweet.
Every message shared and every girl or young woman’s story told adds to a growing shift towards a gender equal world.
In solidarity,
Girls Not Brides
Further reading
Partnership Strategy 2022-2025 – This month we launched a new four-year Partnership Strategy, setting out six shared goals to focus our work and maximise our impact.
Power to Girls campaign – Time is running out to make your campaign commitment. As we come to the closing moment of the campaign, which calls for tangible action to end child marriage, we need your commitment now. No matter how big or small your commitment is, every action makes a difference.
New briefing! Intersectionality & child marriage - This brief uses an intersectional approach to explore the factors that increase a girl’s individual risk of child marriage, and advocates for an inclusive approach to child marriage prevention and response efforts that leaves no one behind.
