The case of child marriage is a perfect example of a superseding role of culturally sanctioned custom over countless efforts to discourage the evil practice through promulgation of various laws. However, we must start positive to ensure that child marriage can be curbed if we team up our effort in the society and the Government as a whole.
Take the case of Rashmita, a 16-year-old girl from Sikhar Palli village of Ganjam. She once felt like her fate looked sealed when her mother decided to get her nuptial celebration. She had just passed 9th class then and she wanted to study more. Her mother prevented her to go schools as she reached puberty.
Rashmita hails from a marginal farming family and ekes out a living from rearing livestock. She had also lost her father when she was ten years old. “I was scared to respond against it at first.” I went to my mother and told her I wanted to study more but the decision of my mother probably was being influenced out of poverty and pressure from the society,” says Rashmita.
In the meantime, a marriage proposal came. It was relaxing news for her mother despite the story of darkness that was flowing in Rashmita’s mind. Eventually, the boy was also 19-year-old. The age is not permissible by law for it has to be 21. On the other hand, nothing was seen going in her favour despite Rashmita’s effort against the early marriage.
But, she did not stop there and met one of her relatives Rina Nahak, a local women leader and mobiliser who works with ActionAid, an NGO working together to further human rights and defeat poverty for all. Rina assured her of help and in a successive meeting, she invited Rashmita’s mother to the women group meeting and explained the issues associated with early marriage.
Rigorous and frequent mobilisation with Rashmita’s family could lead to what Rashmita wanted. Rashmita’s mother could convince the bridegroom’s family to postpone their marriage until both reach to legal age of their marriage.
The success story of Rashmita should be taken as a strong example in terms of fighting against child marriage in a district like Ganjam where nine per cent female get married below legal age at marriage among women (Annual Health Survey-2010-11). Also, around 11 per cent of population fall in lowest 20 per cent wealth index as compared to 27.5 per cent in the highest category, the survey reveals. The NFHS-3 estimates that 47 per cent of women in India, aged 20-24, were married before the age of 18 in India.
In Odisha, 37.2 per cent of girls married before legal age of marriage, 65.1 per cent of female marrying before legal age not having any education and 16.8 per cent of married women of 15-19 years have experienced violence by husbands according to a report, published by UNICEF, 2012.
To curb early marriage in the country, the Central Government has introduced several policy initiatives. The National Population Policy 2000 promotes delayed marriage. National Policy for Empowerment of Women 2001 and National Youth Policy calls for sensitization among adolescents with regard to the correct age for marriage. Recently, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi launched programmes called “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” campaign.
This would initially be operational in 100 districts of the country in a bid to encourage birth and education of girls and Gram Panchayats are held responsible for child marriage. Beti Zindabad campaign and One Stop Crisis Centres are being operational in many States across the country in collaboration with the State Governments as institutionalised response to cases of violence against women and girls.
The Odisha Government passed the rules in September 2009 to implement the Child Marriage Prevention Act, 2007 passed by the Parliament. As per the rules, persons (especially males) organising child marriage will be liable for rigorous imprisonment for two years and a fine up to Rs 1 lakh. The women accused will pay the fine only. Each district will have a designated officer to inquire into reported cases of child marriage and refer them to the district. However, the practice of child marriage is still rampant in the State.
In Odisha, reported cases of girls being trafficked into Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh is also being practised through chains of racket. In the name of poverty and inability to give dowry at the time of marriage, the poor parents are forcefully getting their children married to the boys of these States.
There are many adversities due to early marriage that causes harm to a girl like women’s reproductive and general health. There are numerous factors influencing for early child marriage like the vicious cycle of poverty, high drop out among girls in schools, poor sex ratio, lack of awareness on the issues and significantly the inter-generational cycles of all these. The increasing trend of violence against girls and social dogmas entrenched with them are also seen as important drivers that instill qualms in minds of the parents and leading them to marry their girls off early.
Weak enforcement of prevalent laws is also contributing towards increased trend of these practices. Therefore, there is a need to foreground policies that empowers the girl child, which delegitimize child marriage not just on grounds. Also awareness among multiple stakeholders at village and Panchayat level and a strong as well as reliable database on child marriage of district and State-level is needed because many of the child marriage cases are done unreported and unnoticed.
Source: http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/implement-laws-in-true-spirit-against-child-marriage.html
Take the case of Rashmita, a 16-year-old girl from Sikhar Palli village of Ganjam. She once felt like her fate looked sealed when her mother decided to get her nuptial celebration. She had just passed 9th class then and she wanted to study more. Her mother prevented her to go schools as she reached puberty.
Rashmita hails from a marginal farming family and ekes out a living from rearing livestock. She had also lost her father when she was ten years old. “I was scared to respond against it at first.” I went to my mother and told her I wanted to study more but the decision of my mother probably was being influenced out of poverty and pressure from the society,” says Rashmita.
In the meantime, a marriage proposal came. It was relaxing news for her mother despite the story of darkness that was flowing in Rashmita’s mind. Eventually, the boy was also 19-year-old. The age is not permissible by law for it has to be 21. On the other hand, nothing was seen going in her favour despite Rashmita’s effort against the early marriage.
But, she did not stop there and met one of her relatives Rina Nahak, a local women leader and mobiliser who works with ActionAid, an NGO working together to further human rights and defeat poverty for all. Rina assured her of help and in a successive meeting, she invited Rashmita’s mother to the women group meeting and explained the issues associated with early marriage.
Rigorous and frequent mobilisation with Rashmita’s family could lead to what Rashmita wanted. Rashmita’s mother could convince the bridegroom’s family to postpone their marriage until both reach to legal age of their marriage.
The success story of Rashmita should be taken as a strong example in terms of fighting against child marriage in a district like Ganjam where nine per cent female get married below legal age at marriage among women (Annual Health Survey-2010-11). Also, around 11 per cent of population fall in lowest 20 per cent wealth index as compared to 27.5 per cent in the highest category, the survey reveals. The NFHS-3 estimates that 47 per cent of women in India, aged 20-24, were married before the age of 18 in India.
In Odisha, 37.2 per cent of girls married before legal age of marriage, 65.1 per cent of female marrying before legal age not having any education and 16.8 per cent of married women of 15-19 years have experienced violence by husbands according to a report, published by UNICEF, 2012.
To curb early marriage in the country, the Central Government has introduced several policy initiatives. The National Population Policy 2000 promotes delayed marriage. National Policy for Empowerment of Women 2001 and National Youth Policy calls for sensitization among adolescents with regard to the correct age for marriage. Recently, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi launched programmes called “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” campaign.
This would initially be operational in 100 districts of the country in a bid to encourage birth and education of girls and Gram Panchayats are held responsible for child marriage. Beti Zindabad campaign and One Stop Crisis Centres are being operational in many States across the country in collaboration with the State Governments as institutionalised response to cases of violence against women and girls.
The Odisha Government passed the rules in September 2009 to implement the Child Marriage Prevention Act, 2007 passed by the Parliament. As per the rules, persons (especially males) organising child marriage will be liable for rigorous imprisonment for two years and a fine up to Rs 1 lakh. The women accused will pay the fine only. Each district will have a designated officer to inquire into reported cases of child marriage and refer them to the district. However, the practice of child marriage is still rampant in the State.
In Odisha, reported cases of girls being trafficked into Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh is also being practised through chains of racket. In the name of poverty and inability to give dowry at the time of marriage, the poor parents are forcefully getting their children married to the boys of these States.
There are many adversities due to early marriage that causes harm to a girl like women’s reproductive and general health. There are numerous factors influencing for early child marriage like the vicious cycle of poverty, high drop out among girls in schools, poor sex ratio, lack of awareness on the issues and significantly the inter-generational cycles of all these. The increasing trend of violence against girls and social dogmas entrenched with them are also seen as important drivers that instill qualms in minds of the parents and leading them to marry their girls off early.
Weak enforcement of prevalent laws is also contributing towards increased trend of these practices. Therefore, there is a need to foreground policies that empowers the girl child, which delegitimize child marriage not just on grounds. Also awareness among multiple stakeholders at village and Panchayat level and a strong as well as reliable database on child marriage of district and State-level is needed because many of the child marriage cases are done unreported and unnoticed.
Source: http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/implement-laws-in-true-spirit-against-child-marriage.html
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