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Nari Gunjan: Photographer sensitively documents female empowerment in India

Nari Gunjan, known as Women's Voice, was established in 1987 by Sudha Varghese and has since helped thousands of underprivileged girls and young women from the Musahar caste in Bihar, India, more regularly known as "the untouchables".

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Girl from the Musahar caste in Bihar, India, points at the camera while standing among other young women in colourful traditional dress during a Nari Gunjan community gathering

British photojournalist Emily Garthwaite has documented this fine cause in a new series of images, celebrating the essential work of the cause. She explains: "Nari Gunjan's main focus is to access the rights of marginalised young girls and women from the Dalit community, in particular, the Musahar caste. The Dalit community plays a large role in the rise of dowry, illiteracy, malnutrition, sexual harassment and female mortality.

"Organisations like Nari Gunjan believe that education holds the key for economic, social, cultural and political change. The response to their work in the state of Bihar has been described as a silent revolution by Human Rights Watch."

Based in London, Emily has a Masters in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography from the University of Westminster. Her work has been featured internationally as well as her photograph "Chain to Tradition" being selected as a Finalist for Wildlife Photojournalist of The Year.

Emily's clients include The Independent, Moroccan Tourist Board and Suitcase Magazine. She is a trustee of David Iduwu Foundation and a member of the Women for Women youth leadership circle. Discover more at www.emilygarthwaite.com, or follow Emily on Instagram.

Via Creative Boom submission | All images courtesy of Emily Garthwaite

Young woman with long black hair sits against a distressed pink and grey wall next to a small white dog, wearing jewellery and a dark patterned garment
Colourful mural artwork depicting women in traditional dress with decorative patterns and natural elements including mountains, plants and flowers across multiple painted panels
Girls in school uniforms ascending a staircase in a blue-walled building lit by barred windows, silhouetted against bright natural light
A row of black shoes lined up along a turquoise-painted ledge above a concrete wall
A woman holds a young child in her arms, both smiling at the camera in this black and white portrait taken in India
A young girl from the Musahar caste sits on the ground surrounded by metal bowls and cooking utensils, looking towards the camera in front of a colourful mural on a wall in Bihar, India
Colourful fabric in shades of pink, orange, cyan and red hangs behind metal mesh fencing, with embossed text visible on the concrete base below
Close-up portrait of a woman with dark hair parted down the middle with red powder, wearing a small gold bindi, dark eyeshadow, burgundy lipstick and a gold nose ring, against a black background
Woman with long black hair sits facing a brown wooden door, her back bare and torso exposed, wearing patterned dark fabric at her waist
Profile of a woman wearing an intricately patterned headscarf with decorative embroidery and a beaded earring against a black background
Young woman with long black hair lying on a colourful floral fabric backdrop with red roses and purple tones
Two young girls from the Musahar caste stand barefoot in a weathered brick alleyway, wearing traditional colourful wraps around their lower bodies
A woman wearing glasses and a green headscarf looks towards the camera through the window of a white car in Bihar, India.
Two young women look out from a window of a brick building, part of Nari Gunjan's work supporting marginalised girls and women from the Musahar caste in Bihar, India
A group of young girls and children from the Musahar caste in Bihar, India, stand together on grass in front of a weathered building, wearing colourful clothing.
Black and white portrait of a young woman with swept-back dark hair wearing a light-coloured shawl, looking directly at the camera against a black background
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