Tdh is globally recognized for its expertise in the ‘Sports for Protection’ field and was one of the core partners involved in the development of a ‘Sports for Protection Toolkit’ which was a multi-agency collaboration between UNHCR, IOC and Tdh.
For migrant families in West Bengal, the risk of sexual abuse and trafficking is especially high and child marriage remains a common practice. We use Kabaddi, a traditionally male-dominated sport, to empower adolescent girls (12-18 years) from 60 migrant urban communities in Malda, Behrampur and Siliguri. The Kabaddi for Empowerment project’s structured sports activities along with gender sessions help girls to cope with, adapt to and transform their situations. As a team sport, it builds cohesion and fosters values of strategic cooperation and collaboration. The adolescent girls involved in the project believe that playing Kabaddi not only helps to increase their self-confidence but also encourages the community to support and trust them as they have gone beyond expected gender norms. Girls from this project have been
selected as District and State Level players and many of them are now key community spokespeople, where they play active roles in preventing early marriage and abuse within families.
Although boys do not take part in our project’s Kabaddi training, more than 900 of them participated in sessions on the gender thematic. They became aware of inequalities and privileges, but they also learned to fight against the stereotypes of which they may be victims.
