Archive · 30 Aug 2026
Young Students Honoured for Challenging Child Marriage and Blackmail
Three brave students were honoured for helping protect other children.
Priya Singh helped a friend who was being threatened with the release of private pictures.
Trisha Mandal stopped her father from arranging an underage marriage for her older sister.
Pritam Das helped a friend’s sister avoid being pressured into marrying an older man.
The three students received awards at a school awards ceremony.
They were mentored by the Kolkata Mary Ward Social Centre.
Activists said child marriage can lead to serious dangers, including trafficking.
The students showed that children and communities can speak up when someone is being treated unfairly.
Priya Singh helped a friend resist blackmail involving threats to publish private pictures.
Trisha Mandal confronted her father and helped stop her underage sister’s planned marriage.
Pritam Das persuaded a friend and the friend’s sister to seek help and choose education over early marriage.
All three students, mentored by the Kolkata Mary Ward Social Centre, received awards and scholarships.
Activists said community intervention is crucial because child marriage can increase the risk of trafficking.
- Who
- Priya Singh, Trisha Mandal and Pritam Das, three students mentored by the Kolkata Mary Ward Social Centre.
- What
- They helped prevent child marriage or protect a peer from blackmail and received awards and scholarships.
- When
- At the awards ceremony on Saturday; the incidents occurred earlier, including Trisha’s case in April of the previous year.
- Where
- At IIHM presents The Telegraph School Awards for Excellence 2026; the article places the students and related work in Kolkata/Calcutta.
- Why
- They intervened to protect children from blackmail, underage marriage and pressure to abandon education.
Family and Social Pressures
Child Protection and Education
Reasons for early marriage
Family and Social Pressures
Trisha’s father said he could not afford to educate three daughters and feared the family would lack future support without a son.
Child Protection and Education
Trisha argued that the sisters could support one another and build their own future, while activists urged communities to intervene.
How problems should be addressed
Family and Social Pressures
Families may keep such problems private or feel unable to challenge established patriarchal expectations.
Child Protection and Education
The students, police helpline, NGO and wider community were presented as important sources of intervention and protection.
- Event
- IIHM presents The Telegraph School Awards for Excellence 2026
- Honourees
- Priya Singh, Trisha Mandal and Pritam Das
- Mentor
- Kolkata Mary Ward Social Centre
- Priya’s intervention
- She helped a friend whose private pictures were allegedly being used for blackmail.
- Trisha’s intervention
- She contacted her father, a police helpline and the NGO to stop her under-18 sister’s planned marriage.
- Pritam’s intervention
- He brought a friend and the friend’s sister to the social centre, where she chose education.
- Activists’ warning
- Child marriage is often described as a first step towards trafficking, and community intervention was identified as a key response.