In Bangladesh, we are committed to ensuring that women—who are often socially disadvantaged—have real opportunities. Discrimination, domestic violence, and the marriage of young girls remain widespread. Theater performances are one of the ways we are working to counteract these issues.
In Bangladesh, more than half of all girls are married before the age of 18. Sixteen percent are even married at age 14 or younger. This is often due to cultural norms that stigmatize girls as a financial and social burden on their families, since, according to traditional beliefs, girls are not allowed to work and are also excluded from education. In addition, the social risk of losing family honor due to an out-of-wedlock pregnancy prompts parents to marry off girls immediately after they begin menstruating.
Child marriage is usually followed immediately by dropping out of school and pregnancy. For young girls, this often results in serious physical injuries and mental trauma. Furthermore, girls are often denied the path to independence and, due to financial dependence, are left vulnerable to domestic violence.
Our local partner organization, SATHEE, uses a playful approach to show the local community how harmful socially entrenched practices such as child marriage can be. Theater performances, often staged by the children themselves, are a particularly effective method for this purpose.
“Through theater performances, girls and boys learn about the consequences of child marriage and come to realize that there are opportunities for self-fulfillment and equality beyond traditional gender roles. The performances take place in front of the village community on International Women’s Day and on Children’s Rights Day, and help foster a shift in social values within the community.»
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