Nayana is a 17-year-old from a small village in North Karnataka. She got married at the age of 14 when she was studying in class nine. In the initial days of her married life, she faced a lot of challenges but that didn’t stop her from pursuing her studies. She even secured 80% in the SSLC exam. When the IMAGE team first approached her, she was hesitant and didn’t open up but she gradually realised that they were there for her empowerment and she registered for the activities offered by IMAGE. Through the awareness, she was able to know about Child Rights, Child Protection Laws and the ill effects of Child Marriage. As part of IMAGE activities, Nayana went to Bangalore to attend workshops on the ill effects of child marriage. “In that workshop, they provided some topics related to child development, child marriage, etc. and asked us to present in the forum. I went and gave a presentation for which I received a lot of compliments.

There I got to know that like me there are many more early married girls undergoing struggle and hardship”, said Nayana. Due to her effective communication skills and confidence, she was given the responsibility of being a Movement leader of IMAGE, representing 15000 young early married girls. She says, “Now, I have a responsibility to build a child marriage free society. Together, we can fight against child marriage. I will build a strong movement against child marriages with the support of girls like me.” Recalling her journey since IMAGE, she also added, “Now, I am able to compare myself with the past and present. I am becoming a more knowledgeable person, gaining confidence and courage. Now, I feel more powerful and capable. I am proud to be a young leader and a representative for 15,000 early married girls. I believe in the power of unity to fight against child marriage. I will help build a child marriage.