Written By: Ganga Pyakurel/Save the Children

16 years, Sonia is famous in her village for two things, one she is a vocal child advocate, and two, she advocates against child marriage through sports. “Girls and cricket! People used to be amused at first,” she recalls. She further mentions that the jibes and jokes in the beginning has changed to great admiration. “Boys used to tell us, go do the household chores, cricket is for boys. But once we started our own girls cricket team, and started bringing home trophies and prizes, their negative perception changed entirely.”

How did she begin her advocacy against child marriage? She explains, “Girls get married in our community at a very early age. Despite knowing its wrong, girls my age are forced to get married. But who will protest? But then, it was during one of the child club sessions that Save the Children and Sabal Nepal discussed that we start our own ‘all girls’ cricket team --- and that’s when we thought it would be a brilliant idea to use cricket to advocate against child marriage.”

In 2017, Save the Children and partner organization, Sabal Nepal, established the first girls' cricket team to combat child marriage in Saptari. Using sports as a tool to build agency and voice, Save the Children also provides trainings on child rights, life-skills, and a space for adolescent’s girls to discuss issues that directly and indirectly impacts their lives. “Cricket helped us to open and discuss the challenges that we face. The biggest one being child marriage.” With a smile on her face she expresses, “In cricket, we hit the ball away with our bats. Similarly, we can hit away child marriage.”

Sonia and her friends started participating in local level cricket tournaments, “The more we started playing cricket, the more interest it garnered, especially from our peers.” Sonia and her friends started recruiting others girls in their cricket team, and also started conducted sessions on child marriage and its detrimental effects, violence against women and girls, and mental health. “During these sessions, we also discussed help seeking and reporting behaviour. Like reporting to the police.” These sessions supported them with building collective action. “The sessions supported us in realizing the power of our rights, and how together, we could fight against those who do not respect us, and our rights!”

Sonia’s ward recently got declared child marriage free, and she believes that child clubs helped a lot with this decision. “We staged dramas on child marriage, conducted door to door campaigns, played cricket, and now our ward has been declared as child marriage free!”

Has she realized any changes in her peers? Sonia shares, “Of course! They have become more empowered, as they have information related to their rights. They are more confident and negotiate with their family members, and have started demanding for their rights, such as education. Most importantly, they have started saying NO to child marriage.” As for Sonia’s parents, they know that their daughter has turned into a activist, and do not pressure her to get married. “They know that child marriage is wrong, and they support me and my dreams.”

Will you continue playing cricket? “I love playing cricket, as cricket gave me a new life ---- I feel happy and strong when I play cricket,” shares, Sonia. “I wish every girl like me get a chance to dream and pursue their career. I wish that every girl has freedom from child marriage.”

"When we are playing cricket on the field, I feel happy and strong," says Sonia, and it is this sense of empowerment that she wants to pass on to other children. "I aspire to inspire the younger generation in the village through cricket. If every girl can pursue careers, hobbies, and dreams, child marriage will soon be eradicated," Sonia shares.