Voices of Survivors: The world in the eyes of a child bride

I believe that there are no limits to what we, as women, can achieve and that any woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman. But why has the search to find that voice been remarkably difficult? From a very young age, girls are told what they can do and what they cannot, and the oppression of women is a mere tradition. The problem with gender is, that it prescribes how we should be, rather than recognizing who we are. Here's the story of a 19-year-old girl in her own words, one of the same kind, once with the biggest dreams but who now considers dreaming a privilege.

When did you get married and what were your thoughts about getting married?

I got married at 15 and all I wanted to do then was study. Although I refused to marry, my family's situation compelled me otherwise, as my father did not have a son. He believed if I were to marry someone in relation to the family, it could take off the burden. But life had other plans for me. My husband is unemployed and fell into a downward spiral of substance abuse, and now I work two jobs to support my family.

Did it upset you, the thought of giving up your education, friends and family?

I had passed tenth grade with 75% and aspired to go into nursing, and I was downhearted when I realised my education had come to an end. Despite my friends' continued efforts, my father's decision was unwavering. I do think I could have strongly refused the marriage, but I didn't. Coming from a conservative family, I was accustomed to not disagreeing. And there is not one day that I don't regret that decision. If the situation permits and if I were given the opportunity, I would be more than happy to continue my education.

Why do you think education is important and if you had a daughter, what would you want her life to look like?

I would make sure my daughter will not go through the same things I did. I would let her complete her education, establish a career and be independent. I would make sure she doesn't subject to a man in any part of her life, and enable the freedom that I never got to see. And I believe the key to freedom lies in education, which is why it is extremely important, especially for women to depend on themselves financially, socially and intellectually. I believe in a woman's right to choose, and my heart yearns for all the girls whose dreams were shattered, over the decades and continues to be. Ask a girl what she wants, the uniqueness and passion for her dreams would astonish you and will continue to do so if she was given the same opportunities as her male counterparts.

Women Empowerment. What do those words mean to us? One in four women in India was married as a child, each year there are about 1.5 million child brides, and how come we only realise the importance of women's voices when they are silenced? Headlines about dowry killing, female foeticide and domestic violence still making the newspapers, put a silent question mark behind the two words. Although it is true indeed, that we cannot succeed when half of us are held back, it is important we ask ourselves what we have done over the years to make up for failing to harness the various talents of women.

And I am proud to be the feminist I am, even though fighting for women's rights is often confused with misandry. Feminism by definition is about enabling equal rights for men and women. It is about choice, regardless of what you identify as. It doesn't always have to be history, it could be herstory... although you don't know how much effort it took to stop Grammarly from constantly autocorrecting that :)