India's sportswomen playing to be seen

India's sportswomen playing to be seen

How sport is giving some young women in India a way out of child marriage and allowing them to be seen.

Officially, the practice of child marriage is illegal in the country. But UNICEF estimates that over 200 million girls and women in India have been married before they turned 18. Take Munna as an example. Her mother was fifteen when she married and Munna herself was only 14 when she was told she would be a child bride. However, she fought back, using football as her weapon. She broke social norms and took up the sport, including wearing shorts on the pitch, and fended off various attempts to marry her off early. Now her rebellion has spread to her youngest sister, who has felt emboldened by her elder sister and has made it to the state football team.

Sport has also helped members of a marginalised community - the Siddis, who were originally brought to India from Africa mainly as slaves - to battle against discrimination. For Shahin her route was via judo.

Divya Arya reports on how sport is helping some young women to break free from the bonds of early marriage and to forge an identity for themselves.

This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.

Episoder(2000)

The right thing: Confronting my abuser

The right thing: Confronting my abuser

***This programme contains references to sexual abuse which some listeners may find upsetting*** For decades, Larry Nassar was the doctor for the women’s Olympic Gymnastics team and also treated athle...

31 Okt 202526min

Jihadists and AI

Jihadists and AI

How Jihadists wrestle with the question: to use or not to use. The allure of this powerful tool and the damage they fear it could inflict on their image and reputation. Supporters of the Islamic State...

30 Okt 202530min

Bonus: Cyber Hack - Evil Corp

Bonus: Cyber Hack - Evil Corp

They steal billions: Cyber Hack investigates the alleged cyber gangs and the heists and hacks they’re accused of carrying out. No one is said to be safe. From Hollywood studios, to international banks...

28 Okt 202539min

David Harewood: Return to Othello

David Harewood: Return to Othello

The espionage TV series, Homeland, brought David Harewood international fame but he is also known as the first Black actor to play Othello at the UK’s National Theatre when he was in his early 30s. No...

27 Okt 202526min

'Looking American' to avoid deportation

'Looking American' to avoid deportation

Drone surveillance, sign language and 'looking American' are all suggestions that Brazilian immigrants are making to each other as ways to avoid being deported. Since the beginning of President Donald...

25 Okt 202526min

Living with motor neurone disease

Living with motor neurone disease

Former England ruby captain Lewis Moody recently revealed he had been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND), and our conversations give an insight into how lives can be overturned by this muscle ...

25 Okt 202524min

The right thing: A deal with God

The right thing: A deal with God

***This programme contains references to imprisonment, child abandonment and references to suicide which some listeners may find upsetting*** Since the 1950s, North Korea has been an authoritarian, is...

24 Okt 202526min

G-Land: Surf and spirits

G-Land: Surf and spirits

Off the coast of Java, Indonesia, lies G-Land, one of the world’s most legendary surf breaks, framed by a dense forest that was once home to the now-extinct Javan tiger. Alas Purwo (which literally me...

23 Okt 202526min

Populært innen Samfunn

rss-spartsklubben
alt-fortalt
giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden-usa
aftenpodden
konspirasjonspodden
rss-nesten-hele-uka-med-lepperod
popradet
rss-henlagt-andy-larsgaard
grenselos
wolfgang-wee-uncut
fladseth
synnve-og-vanessa
rss-dannet-uten-piano
frokostshowet-pa-p5
min-barneoppdragelse
rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
den-politiske-situasjonen
krisemoter