Shreeja India is working to prevent child marriage in West Bengal through a sports-based education program called Beyond Football. The program provides 200 tribal girls ages 10-18 with intensive football coaching, out-of-school learning, and workshops on life skills. This empowers the girls and increases their social capital, education, and value in their communities. As a result, rates of school dropout and child marriage have decreased in the areas served by the program. Shreeja India aims to continue achieving sustainable development goals through their work empowering tribal girls in West Bengal.

1. Presented by
Soroptimist International
President Sharon Fisher, and
President’s Appeal
Co-ordinator Ayushi Kundu

3. Mandy
Sanghera
Philanthropist and
International Human
Rights Activist

4. Somasree
Basu
Program Manager at
Shreeja India

5. SHREEJA INDIA
Dribbling Past Patriarchy

6. Image courtesy: childbridesindiamali.wordpress.com
CHILD MARRIAGE: A marriage in which either the girl is
below 18 years of age, or the boy is below 21 years of age
Soroptimist International & Shreeja India joining
hands to fight Child Marriage

7. CHILD MARRIAGE IN INDIA
 India is world’s second most populous country & already hosts the
world’s largest number of child brides – 23 million, according to a 2019
report by UNICEF.
 Each year, at least 1.5 million girls under 18 get married in India and
nearly 16 percent of adolescent girls aged 15-19 are currently married.
 The highest prevalence of child marriage is reported
amongst Scheduled Tribe girls (15%) & by Scheduled Castes (13 %)

8. CHILD MARRIAGE IN INDIA
 West Bengal, Bihar, Tripura have nearly 40% prevalence of child
marriage, the highest in India (NFHS & UNICEF)
 Some other States high in Child marriage cases are Rajasthan,
Jharkhand, Odisha
 Over 500 cases of child marriages reported since mid-March in West
Bengal. East Burdwan and West Burdwan topped the list

9. DISTRICT WISE
PREVALENCE OF
CHILD MARRIAGE
IN WEST BENGAL
Source: NFHS4

10. REASONS WHY CHILD MARRIAGES CONTINUE
 A girl child is generally considered to be a burden
 Parents and the community having to pay lower dowry when the bride
and the groom are young.
 Child marriages are the easy way out for parents who want their
children to accept their choice of partner.
 Safety of the girl child from sexual violence and the inability of parents
to guarantee such safety

11. REASONS WHY CHILD MARRIAGES CONTINUE
 To ensure chastity and virginity of the bride.
 Parents see marriage as a way to secure the girl’s future socially and
economically.
 Lack of education and awareness about the consequences of child
marriage.
 Love Affairs and elopements.

12. CONSEQUENCES OF CHILD MARRIAGE
 Child marriage denies children their basic rights
 The body and mind of children are put to grave and heinous danger
 Marriage provides the legal sanction for engaging in sexual activity
and procreation. It also jeopardizes their health
Early marriage resulting in early motherhood means placing both
the young mother and her baby at risk

13. CONSEQUENCES OF CHILD MARRIAGE
 Early child marriage violates the child’s right to education
 Child brides often experience a sudden decline in their social
networks
 Child marriage opens the door to an endless and vicious cycle of
domestic violence, abuse and trafficking.

14. At the international level, India is signatory to several
international human rights instruments that protect and
ensure children the right to dignity and childhood.
These include the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
(UNCRC), Convention on Elimination of Discrimination against
Women (CEDAW) and International Covenant on Economic
Social Cultural Rights (ESCR).
India has committed to eliminate early and forced marriage
by 2030 in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 5.

15. THE PRESENT LAW IN INDIA: Prohibition
of Child Marriage Act, 2006
 The law has threefold purposes: prevention of child marriages,
protection of children involved and prosecution of offenders
 Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) appointed
 This law has declared child marriage to be a cognizable and non-
bailable offence.
 An injunction can be issued by the court to prohibit its
solemnization and if a marriage is solemnized after the injunction,
then such a marriage shall be declared as null and void.

16. THE PRESENT LAW IN INDIA: Prohibition of
Child Marriage Act, 2006
 The law makes child marriages voidable by giving choice to the
children in the marriage to seek annulment of marriage
 This law also prescribes punishment for performing, conducting and
abetting child marriage.
 Provision for maintenance and residence to female contracting party
to child marriage
 Custody and maintenance of children of child marriages

17. SHREEJA INDIA’S INTERVENTION TO PREVENT
CHILD/EARLY MARRIAGE IN WEST BENGAL

18. Shreeja India
 Is a non-profit civil society organization
 Works through a unique sports-based education model to
unlock full potential of women in India
 Ensures access to resources and opportunities to
transform young women into community leaders
 Stops school drop-out, end early marriage, prevent
human trafficking and impede violence against women

19. Mission
Empowering women through education and sports and
enabling them to realize their full potentials to build a
gender-equitable society
Vision
Creating a gender-equitable society in which
every woman gets equitable and fair opportunities to
pursue and live their dreams

20. Our Strategies
 ENGAGE girls in various social interactions
 EDUCATE girls, enabling them to unlock their potentials
 ENRICH girls and young women through various skills training

21. Football as a tool for Social Change:
Shreeja India’s Beyond Football program transcends the field & influences the girls to
perform & live better. Here are five instances stating how our football coaching helps
the girls enhance their quality of lives:
Confidence Building | Controlling the Territory | Awareness of Surroundings
Cooperative living | Off-the-Ball Strategy

22. Project
Vidushee

23. PROGRAM : BEYOND FOOTBALL

24. BEYOND FOOTBALL
 Shreeja India’s Beyond Football Program imparts intensive football coaching and out-of- school
learning to support tribal girls in West Bengal.
 At present, 200+ young girls (age between 10 – 18 years) are registered in this program in
Rajnagar, Birbhum from across 17 villages

25. RAJNAGAR, BIRBHUM
Rajnagar block is one of the most backward blocks in terms of
economic growth and the literacy rate of the block is 59%. Literacy
rate among the tribal population is less than the block overall rate
i.e. 31.17% with only 17% among women.
The 2nd district with the highest prevalence of child marriage is
Birbhum (35.2%) after Murshidabad (39.9%)

26. SPORTS-BASED EDUCATION
 Regular football training
 Out-of-school learning with enriched
curriculum
 Workshops to sensitize the girls with life skills
 Access to balanced nutritious food
 Access to a library with 1000 books
 Access to a garment bank

27. DIGITAL LEARNING
 Digital education enables
delivery of quality education.
 This step towards digital
literacy shall help to significantly
bridge the knowledge gap
between rural and urban girls.

28. VIDUSHEE
 Offers primary education to first-generation learner
tribal girls (7 -10 years) through collaborative
approach.
 Shreeja Girls (18-20 years) who have passed their
class X and XII Board examinations coach basic
Football & teach young girls from their villages.
 At present, 140 children from 17 villages are covered
under this project

29. NUTRI-HOMES
 Shreeja India started Nutrition Gardening in Rajnagar, Birbhum from 2019.
 It currently supports 70 families with food

30. BEYOND FOOTBALL

31. Intense Football
Coaching
Out-of-School
Learning
Exposure to the
outside world
through digital
learning
Enhanced social
Capital
Awareness programs
for girls & their
community
Increased value at
home & in the
community
Decreased rate of
School dropouts
& Child Marriage
reduced

32. ACHIEVEMENTS
 In 2020, 16 girls passed out of 21 girls passed. All Shreeja Girls
are continuing their education under Shreeja India’s tutelage
 The Shreeja India football team is playing local tournaments
Shreeja Girls who pass their class X & XII board exams are
obtaining The Telegraph Foundation scholarship to continue with
their education
 Students enrolled in Shreeja India academy who pass their class
10 and 12 board exams are now earning through Vidushee and are
valued in their families

33. AWARDS
 Awarded ‘The Williamson Magor
Education Trust Award for Excellence
in Extra-Curricular Activities’ in
2017
 ‘The Telegraph Education Foundation
[TTEF] Special Certification of Honour
for (A School that Cares) in 2019

34. The progress of the work was mapped over a period of 6 months. 40 girls enrolled with
the given project were taken as the sample:
SHREEJA INDIA RESEARCH

35. The progress of the work was mapped over a period of 6 months. 40 girls enrolled with
the given project were taken as the sample:
SHREEJA INDIA RESEARCH

36. PROGRAM IMPACT
 The program reduces school dropout, early marriage, trafficking
and violence against women
 The program assures equitable access to opportunities and
education for tribal girls
 Digital learning helps tribal girls enriching exposure to the
outside world
 There is a noticeable improvement in overall health and fitness
of the tribal girls.

37. Shiuli Soren

38. Brishti Marandi

39. Shreeja India aspires to contribute towards the following Sustainable Development
Goals 2030 from a collection of 17 global goals designed in 2015 to achieve a better
and more sustainable future for all by the United Nations General Assembly
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

40. “ Don't be satisfied
with stories, how
things have gone with
others. Unfold your
own myth.”
― Rumi

41. NGO Forum will still virtually
include many of the programs and
events that make the Forum special
like Global Consultation Days, a
Virtual Artisan Fair, Advocacy
Trainings, Conversation Circles,
and a digital handbook.
Virtual event open to
representatives of ECOSOC-
accredited non-governmental
organizations (NGOs)
Watch official events via
http://webtv.un.org/
Register at
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