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)

Stolen brides of Kazakhstan: The fightback

Stolen brides of Kazakhstan: The fightback

In plain sight, in a modern city, a colleague offers to drive you home after work. How would you respond? One woman in Kazakhstan accepted the lift only to find herself kidnapped or ‘stolen’ as a brid...

16 Des 202527min

Jim Henson's Creature Shop: Back to Fraggle Rock

Jim Henson's Creature Shop: Back to Fraggle Rock

Sean Allsop goes behind the scenes inside the legendary Jim Henson's Creature Shop in New York, where fabric and materials bring life to characters beloved around the world. Sean joins the team as the...

15 Des 202529min

A makeover for Syria's interim leader?

A makeover for Syria's interim leader?

One year after the fall of Syria's dictator, Bashar al-Assad, interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa has undergone a significant image makeover. He's regularly seen playing basketball or pool on social med...

13 Des 202526min

Somalis in America

Somalis in America

Donald Trump says Somali immigrants in the US should “go back to where they came from.” The President’s comments come after allegations of large-scale fraud in Minnesota's social assistance programme,...

13 Des 202523min

The divine gift of sex

The divine gift of sex

Sex therapist Dr Rica Cruz is on a mission to destigmatise sex in the deeply Catholic Philippines. As a practising Catholic herself, she believes sex is a divine gift and should be intertwined with fa...

12 Des 202526min

Surgery in a backpack

Surgery in a backpack

In some places, the nearest safe operating room can be hours or even days away. We find out about a portable operating theatre called SurgiBox that fits in a backpack and inflates in minutes, creating...

11 Des 202523min

The struggle of Israel's peace movement

The struggle of Israel's peace movement

Two years ago a group of Jewish and Palestinian peace activists stood almost alone in Israel in calling for a ceasefire, as Israel launched a massive offensive on Gaza in response to the Hamas attacks...

9 Des 202529min

Anna-Karin Karlsson: Sunglasses made for icons

Anna-Karin Karlsson: Sunglasses made for icons

From a quiet forest outside Stockholm to the world’s most glamorous runways, Swedish designer Anna-Karin Karlsson has built one of fashion’s most distinctive eyewear brands. Her bold, sculptural glass...

8 Des 202529min

Populært innen Samfunn

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