How Football is Helping Girls Fight Against Forced Marriage
Tuesday, 2026/02/24235 words3 minutes700 reads
When 14-year-old Nisha Vaishnav noticed strangers photographing her at football practice, she soon learned they represented a family seeking a bride for their son. Despite maternal pressure to demonstrate deference, Nisha's categorical refusal marked a significant departure from village norms, as she asserted her commitment to athletic aspirations over premature matrimony.
Child marriage persists in India despite legal prohibitions against marriage for girls under 18 and boys under 21. Unicef data indicates that approximately 25% of Indian women were married before reaching legal age, with Rajasthan exhibiting rates exceeding the national average. The sisters' involvement with Football for Freedom, established in 2016 as part of the Mahila Jan Adhikar Samiti women's rights organization, has proven transformative.
Munna pioneered the contentious battle to wear athletic shorts rather than traditional attire, enduring public scrutiny from village women. Their defiance of conventional expectations extended beyond clothing—Nisha's decision to crop her hair represented another act of resistance in a community where long hair symbolizes femininity and marriageability. Her rapid ascension to the Rajasthan state team in 2024 validated her choices.
Padma Joshi, from Football for Freedom, employs a pragmatic approach when engaging parents, emphasizing that athletic excellence can facilitate access to government positions reserved for sportspeople. This economic argument proves compelling in communities where poverty and tradition perpetuate child marriage. The program has trained approximately 800 girls across 13 villages, offering an alternative pathway to financial independence and autonomy.
