Storytelling: An innovative initiative to stop child

marriage

Challenge and Selection

Storytelling is a great tool to motivate people to bring change in them. Storytelling is a  process where the speaker knitted the story with actor and actress with strong but  compelling message and the audience find themselves inside the story. I choose to use this  tool to motivate people because I found it most convenient for me. Due to my  administrative authority I have to speak, communicate and meet with all kinds of people of  the society and they usually prefer to listen my speech. So this is a great opportunity for me  to tell stories to my audience and the service seekers.

Child marriage is a big problem in my country. According to UNICEF report, “the State of  the World’s Children, 2009”, 64% of girls married before age 18. Along with Child Marriage  Act, 1929, the minimum age for marriage is 18 years for female and child marriage is  punishable by law. Though we have legal instrument, the rate of child marriage is very high  in rural area for many reasons. As I am serving as an administrative officer having  executive magistracy authority, I have to stop and sentence punishment for arranging child  marriage. But these are extreme measures I have to take when the illegal marriage is  occurring neglecting our request.  So I planned to make awareness through motivating the  parents to prevent child marriage. In rural area, parents believe that their female child  should be married at early age for many reasons- social tradition (due to misleading  religious and social belief), dowry (higher the age higher dowry practiced mostly in the  Hindu community), poverty, insecurity, not interested to invest after girl for education etc.  Due to my work responsibility I have the opportunity to visit schools and attend their  ‘guardian assembly’ especially the ‘mother assembly’ which occurs once in every month. I  selected to tell them a story taken from my colleague’s personal life and motivate them  through the story. I found it interesting when I used to tell the story to school girls and  their parents, they appreciate the story very much and dream to become like my colleague.

Application

First, let me share the story with you. My colleague who is a female officer in civil service  told me the story which is taken from her childhood. When she was 16 years of age, her  father set her marriage with a magistrate who was also serving in civil service. But her  mother was not agreed with the decision and she denied and protested. She played a strong  role to protect her daughter from child marriage because she knew the hazards which will  occur after the marriage. She explained her family members about the physical and mental  shocks which will happen to the bride. She made promise to everyone that one day her

daughter would became magistrate by her own and she would provide every necessary  measure about her education. Due to her strong protest, my colleague’s father compelled to  change his decision and provided all support for education. Now my colleague is a civil  servant as well as a magistrate and interestingly her husband is also a magistrate. Both of  her parents now feel proud that their decision was so right that now they get two  magistrates at same time in their family.

When I used to tell the story to students and their parents, I also try to make them  understand what might happen if child marriage occurred to a girl and how they can make  assets by educating her instead of marrying her at early age. I also share other stories from  my experiences from the girls whose marriages were stopped by me and later they are  doing well in their studies. In one assembly I took one such girl and her parents with me  and represent her in front of audience to share her experience and success. The feedbacks I  get from them are so inspiring- one day after my storytelling one father stood up and he  promised that he would support his daughters and nieces to make them educated so they  can walk raising their heads high.

Insight

The insights I got from the events that, people in rural or urban know about illegality of  child marriage, but when they get a good bridegroom (in their definition) the family  members force the girl to sit for the marriage without thinking far. They believe, girls have  to be married one day so why not now when you get the best bridegroom. And in some  community the parents believe rather to invest after education they will provide dowry  with that money. Mostly, uneducated and poverty driven parents are prone to get their  girls in early marriage. They don’t try to understand the potential which yet to flourish  inside the girls. They don’t foresee the possibilities among them. The storytelling tool  actually incite the hopes among the parents and they start to believe that their girls will  one day raise their heads high and not only them but also the society will feel proud for  them.  After listening the stories the audiences are sharing the stories to others in tea stall  or in house female gathering. So the stories are moving from ear to ear and make them  thinking about their girls’ future. This tool can make them dreaming and the girls can build  their confidence to protect themselves from child marriage.

Approach

I have shared my views and experiences with my senior authorities and abled to convince  them to apply this approach to replicate in their jurisdiction. I plan to expand the  storytelling tool involving the girls whose marriages were stopped by administration or  local elites. These girls’ stories will inspire other girls and parents. The girls can form  committee involving local representatives, elites and others who can take immediate steps

to stop child marriage and aware the vulnerable and prone families. Storytelling is a  powerful tool through which we can take innovative motivation initiative to change our  society.

