CHENNAI: Paintings and posters bearing bold messages on child marriage posted on the notice board of Madras School of Social Work drew our attention as we entered the campus. The moving stories gave us a glimpse of what to expect at this year’s Youth Speak Summit 2020. After a successful edition last year, NalandaWay Foundation and UNICEF hosted the second edition of Youth Speak on Friday. This year’s theme was ‘Building voices against child marriage.’
“The ultimate goal is to provide a safe space for youngsters to voice their opinion. In partnership with The Banyan, we have also set up a Wellness Cafe for students to have a private consultation with a professional counsellor for free. This is a way of encouraging them to open up and also to promote mental health,” said Sriram V Ayer, founder, NalandaWay Foundation.
The event had a panel discussion on the causes, prevalence and intervention of child marriage. The speakers included Sugata Roy, communication specialist, UNICEF; Zerlin Cindrella P, Youth Advocate for Children, UNICEF; A Kathir, human rights activist; Christina Dorothy, district social work officer, Thiruvannamalai; Padmavathi, social activist; and moderated by Raja Samuel, principal, MSSW.
The dignitaries have been working on and off the field in eradicating child marriage for many decades. Christina shared her experience in the villages around Tiruvannamalai. “It’s sad that even the girl does not know that we’re trying to help her out. She’s too young to oppose or decide for herself. We’re aiming at a behavioural intervention for parents. Even after awareness, the problem persists because of deep-rooted beliefs. As our latest measure, we’ve sent a warning to every house regarding child marriage.”
The speakers agreed that healthy discussions start at home. “Gender equality is the underlying issue in every family. Children must be taught about gender roles from birth. Gender and media education must be made mandatory in educational institutions. Parents must be sensitised on quality upbringing,” said Padmavathi. Concurring, Kathir spoke on the problems of caste, class, and patriarchy plaguing society. “Parents lack trust in children. The gender difference is apparent in the way they treat the boy and girl child.”
Roy pointed out how ending child marriage can end infant and maternal mortality, malnutrition, and thereby ending all forms of violence. “We’re in 2020 and still talking about the most basic problem. Where is development? The attitude of society must change. Child marriage must not only be prohibited but banned and burned from the system,” he said.
The second half of the summit witnessed a changemaker session moderated by AVIS Viswanathan, the happynesswala, where he interacted with seven young speakers about their contribution to society and empowerment. The panel included Khalid Ahmed, founder, Uravugal Trust; Beema Bai Ramadoss, founder, City of Joy, and Vijai Pranav, advocate and basketball player, among others. The summit educated participants on different aspects of child marriage and provided them with a space to express, challenge and make society a better place.