Bhavna Khambhalya, who will wed Kalar, poses with her nephew, Alpesh, on the day before her wedding. Nonfamily wedding guests were told that she is 18 years old, the legal age in India, but her age is not easily verified. Child marriage is still practiced in Maldhari communities, but is gradually declining, said Neeta Pandya, founder of the Maldhari Rural Action Group, a grass-roots empowerment organization.
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