The Non-Negotiables

​

1. All girls must be in a full-time school or any full-time education stream until completion of 18 years. 

2. Girls and boys must enjoy equal opportunities to pursue education and build their capabilities. 

3. Presence in an education institution should be a pre-condition for building awareness on reproductive health care, sex education and life skills for both boys and girls.

4. Arguments such as domestic work, distance to schools, lack of safety for girls, eve teasing, increase in dowry, sibling care, poverty, and pressure of marriage are mechanisms used to control girls’ bodily integrity and deny them education, choices, opportunities, mobility, autonomy, and are therefore unacceptable.

5. The discourse on gender equality must be introduced into the school curriculum from Class 1 onwards. 

6. Youth clubs must be non-gendered, secular spaces where all members are equal, without distinctions of gender, caste, religion, disability or any other forms of discrimination.  

7. No girl should marry before attainment of 18 years of age. Child Marriage law must be amended to nullify marriage of all girls until 18 years of age. 

8. Even after attainment of 18 years, the girl’s decision and choice for her marriage is to be given full support.

 

These non-negotiables are leading in all the work with adolescents in the project area.