According to a UNICEF report titled “Ending Child Marriage: A profile of progress in India,” India is home to one-third of the world’s child brides. Out of 223 million child brides in the country, around 102 million were married before the age of 15. In states like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, child marriage has long been accepted as tradition. But one woman decided to raise her voice and work on this heartbreaking reality.
Meet Dr. Kriti Bharti, who is on a mission to end child marriage in India. She is a rehabilitation psychologist, legal activist, and the founder of Saarthi Trust.
How Did it Begin?
Kriti’s childhood was far from easy. Abandoned by her father, poisoned at the age of ten, and left to fight for her life, Kriti faced more than most children could ever imagine. She battled through health issues and emotional trauma, but never let her circumstances define her. Instead, they became her fuel.
She studied psychology and law, in the hope of understanding not only the minds of people but also the systems that allowed abuse to continue unchecked. She earned a Doctorate in Psychology at the Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur. She worked with many NGOs and counselled many children, which encouraged her to establish Saarthi Trust in 2011. It is an organisation that works at rescuing, rehabilitating, and empowering victims of child marriage and abuse.
The organisation works closely with local communities to support children rescued from child marriages. After saving them, the trust helps these children rebuild their lives by giving them access to education, skill training, and job opportunities so that they can become independent.
The Turning Point
In 2012, Dr. Kriti Bharti secured the country’s first-ever legal annulment of a child marriage. It was a bold, unprecedented move that shook the very foundations of deeply rooted cultural beliefs. This move gave a very strong message to society that child marriage could be challenged and reversed.
Since that day, Dr. Kriti and her team have gone on to stop more than 2,100 child marriages before they could happen and legally annulled 52 that had already taken place. Despite facing many threats, physical attacks, and powerful opposition, she always stood up.
The World is Watching Her
Her impact has gone far beyond the borders of Rajasthan. She’s been named among the BBC’s 100 Most Inspiring Women, honoured by the United Nations, and featured in school textbooks to inspire future generations. She has also won the International Changemaker title by ‘Girls Not Brides’, followed by many national and international awards.
But ask her what drives her, and she won’t mention awards or recognition. She’ll talk about the girls. The ones who whispered for help. The ones who cried in silence. The ones who never had a choice, until she showed up.
Child marriage may be deeply rooted in India’s cultural soil, but Dr. Kriti Bharti is tearing those roots out. Dr. Kriti is here to change lives, and she is nailing it.
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