PROJECTS | India | Girls at Risk

Dindigul District is well known throughout India for its thriving textile industry.  It is estimated that there are more than 10,000 girls between the ages of 14 and 18 working in its textile spinning mills.  Every year, schemes known as ‘sumangali thittam’ (marriage plans) lure thousands of girls, often from poor rural communities, into the garment industry with an incentive of earning their own dowry (marriage payment) at the end of a three-year ‘apprenticeship’.  Instead these young girls end up working in deplorable conditions, returning to their families years later empty-handed due to a lack of legal or regulatory protection.

This important new project, run in partnership with Arunodhaya, will lobby government leaders and institutions to put an end to ‘bonded labour’ schemes and educate families and local community leaders about the exploitative working conditions that these children are subjected to, particularly raising awareness within the remote rural communities where they are often recruited.  The project will also provide vital support to girls working in the textile mills, including healthcare, legal advice and skills training to enable them to find alternative employment opportunities.  Ultimately, this project is about preventing children from joining these schemes in the first place by improving education, providing alternative livelihood options and raising awareness about the reality of this work, enabling them to grow up in a safe, secure and nurturing environment.