text: A 13-year-old Indian girl faced with an arranged marriage has written a letter to her teacher begging her to stop the wedding (stock image above) A 13-year-old Indian girl faced with an arranged marriage has written a letter to her teacher begging her to stop the wedding. Duli Hembrom wrote to the principal of Milan Mithi Uchha Vidyalaya after failing to convince her parents to call off the wedding, which is due to take place in two days. She wrote: 'I do not want to get married, I took an oath at the time of admission that I will not get married before I turn 18.' She added that she wanted the teacher to stop the marriage 'whichever way possible', the India Times reported. It is thought the 'oath' Duli refers to is the school's promise she had to make when she started, but exactly what it included is not known. Her father Lachhu, who lives in Gudibanda with Duli's mother, said child marriage was a common phenomenon in their society. He told the Hindustan Times that it was difficult to find a suitable match for a grown-up girl. The Child Marriage Restraint Act, passed in India during British rule in 1929, specified that a girl must be 18 and a boy 21 before they can wed. But the country has the second highest number of child marriages, according to a UN report. Nearly 52 per cent of girls are married before reaching 18 years old, Indian records show. Between 2011 and 2020 more than 140 million girls will become child brides globally, analysts estimate. Aarati Benera, a women’s rights activist, described child marriage as 'illegal and a social evil'. The Child Marriage Restraint Act, passed in India during British rule in 1929, specified that a girl must be 18 and a boy 21 before they can wed. Above, women and girls sit waiting to be married in a mass wedding ceremony in India . Despite numerous campaigns from many of the world's largest charities and NGOs, the issue of child brides remains a global concern. In 2013 there were around 57.5 million child brides across the world, 40 per cent of which married in India. This is despite the Child Marriage Restraint Act, passed  during British rule in 1929, specifying that a girl must be 18 and a boy 21 before they can wed. Meanwhile, in Africa, 42 per cent of girls were married before turning 18 compared to 29 per cent in Latin America and the Caribbean. The number of child brides is estimated to rise to 140 million by 2020 if current trends continue, 18.5 million of which will be under 15 years old, analysts warn. Statistics show that girls living in poor households are almost twice as likely to marry before 18 than girls in higher income households. And girls younger than 15 are also five times more likely to die in childbirth than women in their 20s. Aarati Benera, a women’s rights activist, described child marriage as 'illegal and a social evil'.
target: Duli Hembrom wrote to the principal at Milan Mithi Uchha Vidyalaya .
  Said parents refused to cancel the wedding and did not want to go ahead .
  Child Marriage Restraint Act specifies a girl must be 18 before she can wed .