B Tejeshwani, a twenty four-year-old girl from Solipet village, Bommalaramaram mandal, Nalagonda district, Andhra Pradesh, says, “I belong to a large family. We are four sisters and a brother. I was married at the age of 17 though I was keen to study further. I did not have a chance to pursue my dreams but this campaign could help other girls chase their dreams and stand up for their rights.

The campaign, however, has helped me in other ways. It has given me and other girls in the village the courage to speak up and voice our opinions in public, something we never ventured to do earlier. I recently rounded up many girls and sought their support to stand up against a man who was sexually harassing a girl in our village. I urged the girl’s mother to lodge a formal complaint with the village elders and resolve the issue. I see it as a big step for me and other girls in the village and the beginning of a new movement.”