Follow Our Journey
About Us
What We Do
We empower victims of child marriage
History
IMAGE INDIA
Taking inspiration from IMAGE project in Bangladesh, supported by Royal Netherlands Embassy Dhaka, IMAGE project was started in India.
It all started in 2018, when the Netherlands-based funding agency Terre des Hommes-Netherlands, deliberated upon supporting victims of child marriage in Karnataka, India with the assistance of its various NGO partners. With an ambitious aim to support girl children who are victims of child marriage, the IMAGE programme was instituted by TdH-NL and its partner NGOs. They have taken up a responsibility that could be life changing; both for the early married girls targeted and the ‘at-risk’ girls population across India. With a deep understanding of the target population, their situation and the status of child marriage at large, the coalition members aim to ensure that their work reaps effective results
The Karnataka state accounts for 23. 2% of child marriages in the country. The practice of child marriage is associated with socio-cultural, religious and traditional beliefs (NCPCR study).
The Problem
Organising child brides and women victims of child marriage into a movement for change, where they are sensitised on thier rights, trained in life skills, adcovacy tools and leadership to fight for inclusion, jusctice and equal opportunities.
Our solution
"I want to become a scientist and I want to contribute my best towards building a society which is free from child marriage and child labour. I also aim to reduce the dropout rate of girls in my village"
Mangala*, Early Married Girl
Mission and
Objectives
Mission
“to empower girls and young women, who are victims and survivors of early child marriage to improve their access to rights, opportunities and services in Karnataka, India”.
Objectives
- To Facilitate available education, health and social security services to early married girls and prevent from gender based violence & teenage pregnancy
- To Facilitate increased access for early married girls to secondary education and job-oriented vocational trainings
- By 2024, at least 15,000 married adolescent girls (EMGs) and the survivors of early marriage improved their access to rights, opportunities and services in Karnataka, India.
Our Strategies
Prevention
- Prevention of child marriage
- Providing awareness on the ill effects of child marriage through IEC materials
- Networking with local CSO’s and CBO’s
- Educating and creating awareness on Child Help line 1098
- Prevention of child exploitation through training in child rights and child protection laws
- Counselling to prevent gender based violence
- Organising community sensitisation drives
Provision
Providing early married girls with access to formal/informal education, job oriented vocational training, health care, psychosocial support, social security and legal aid.
Creating a safe and supportive environment for child brides through spouse forum meetings, family clubs, adolescent boys and girls groups and EMGs clubs
Promotion
Building relationships with stakeholders, expanding the network, involving stakeholders at all levels ( village/panchayat/block/district/state)
- Organising and participating in workshops, seminars at all levels
- Sensitising Government officials on the the problems and requirements of child brides.
- Presenting study and documentation on the issue to the government to sensitise them on child marriages.
- Facilitating Advocacy meetings between the Government and Early Married Girls and training the girls in advocacy