GANJAM GIRL GETS BOLD, PROTESTS CHILD MARRIAGE
Thursday, 16 April 2015 | NABA KISHORE PUJARI | in Bhubaneswar
When Rashmita was just 16 years, she was told that her marriage is being arranged. Her family had already made up its mind to marry her off. A school-going girl of Sikhar Palli village of Ganjam, Rashmita Pradhan could not think that her marriage will occur too early. When she heard the news, she was stunned and then she lost her sleep. She felt like her fate looked sealed. It was a nightmare to her. She had a dream of her own i.e. to study further. Rashmita hails from a marginal farming family and ekes out a living from rearing livestock. Rashmita’s mother works as a daily wage labourer as well to feed her family.
Rashmita lost her father when she was ten years old. “I was scared to respond against it at first”. I requested my mother to take back her decision and allow me to study but at the same time, I also felt that it is perhaps not possible at her end as she is full of family burden. She has a younger sister and if Rashmita does not marry earlier, her younger brother would grow and reach the age of a bride. Then, the pressure would be double for Rashmita’s mother. “On the other hand, the decision of my mother was also controlled by social pressure. Because, if a girl after reaching puberty remains unmarried for a long time, the neighbours and villagers decide that either the girl is not morally good one who may have denied marrying or no marriage proposal is coming. These norms were difficult one for my mother to bear” reveals Rashmita.
While asked to Rashmita on whether she knows that the legal age of marriage for a girl is eighteen and the boy is twenty one, she answered ‘No’. She said, ‘I don’t think anyone of our village has that information. In our village, once a girl reaches her puberty, the family members feel that she is ready for marriage and then start looking for a groom, she said.
In some days, a marriage proposal came for Rashmita, from her cousins. It was good news for her mother despite the story of darkness that was running in Rashmita’s mind. Rashmita’s marriage was arranged with the boy who lives in Surat. However, Rashmita did not sit quiet and expressed her feelings to her niece Rina about such proposal. Rina Nahak, a local women leader and a part of ActionAid India’s programme on building women leadership, stood instrumental in stopping Rashmita’s marriage. Successively, Rina invited Rashmita’s mother to the women group meeting that is being held in every month to talk over women issues. Members of the group educated Rashmita’s mother about the legal age and other damaging effects of child marriage. It took time to persuade Rashmita’s mother but frequent counseling and follow- up with Rashmita’s family could finally help stop the marriage.
After being aware of such consequences of child marriage, Rashmita’s mother passed the information to groom’s family. Unfortunately, the age of the groom was also nineteen which is not permissible age by law. So they were convinced by Rashmita’s mother that marriage is not possible till they reach their legal age of marriage.
Unfortunately, the story of Rashmita is not single in the race. Annual Health Survey 2010-11 reveals that 9 per cent female get married below legal age at marriage among women only in Ganjam. UNICEF in its report in 2012 also highlights that 37.2 per cent of girls married before legal age of marriage in Odisha. According to the International Center for Research on Women, one in nine girls globally will be married before the age of 15.Girls younger than 15 who are forced into marriage are five times more likely to die in childbirth than women in their 20s. They also are more likely to experience domestic violence and live in poverty.
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) which co-hosted a panel on child marriage at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in 2013 has revealed that more than 140 million girls will become child brides by 2020 if current rates of early marriage continue. Of that number of girls aged under 18, 50 million will be younger than 15, the agency reported.
(The writer is a freelancer and a development sector professional. He can be contacted at nabamaster@gmail.com)
Thursday, 16 April 2015 | NABA KISHORE PUJARI | in Bhubaneswar
When Rashmita was just 16 years, she was told that her marriage is being arranged. Her family had already made up its mind to marry her off. A school-going girl of Sikhar Palli village of Ganjam, Rashmita Pradhan could not think that her marriage will occur too early. When she heard the news, she was stunned and then she lost her sleep. She felt like her fate looked sealed. It was a nightmare to her. She had a dream of her own i.e. to study further. Rashmita hails from a marginal farming family and ekes out a living from rearing livestock. Rashmita’s mother works as a daily wage labourer as well to feed her family.
Rashmita lost her father when she was ten years old. “I was scared to respond against it at first”. I requested my mother to take back her decision and allow me to study but at the same time, I also felt that it is perhaps not possible at her end as she is full of family burden. She has a younger sister and if Rashmita does not marry earlier, her younger brother would grow and reach the age of a bride. Then, the pressure would be double for Rashmita’s mother. “On the other hand, the decision of my mother was also controlled by social pressure. Because, if a girl after reaching puberty remains unmarried for a long time, the neighbours and villagers decide that either the girl is not morally good one who may have denied marrying or no marriage proposal is coming. These norms were difficult one for my mother to bear” reveals Rashmita.
While asked to Rashmita on whether she knows that the legal age of marriage for a girl is eighteen and the boy is twenty one, she answered ‘No’. She said, ‘I don’t think anyone of our village has that information. In our village, once a girl reaches her puberty, the family members feel that she is ready for marriage and then start looking for a groom, she said.
In some days, a marriage proposal came for Rashmita, from her cousins. It was good news for her mother despite the story of darkness that was running in Rashmita’s mind. Rashmita’s marriage was arranged with the boy who lives in Surat. However, Rashmita did not sit quiet and expressed her feelings to her niece Rina about such proposal. Rina Nahak, a local women leader and a part of ActionAid India’s programme on building women leadership, stood instrumental in stopping Rashmita’s marriage. Successively, Rina invited Rashmita’s mother to the women group meeting that is being held in every month to talk over women issues. Members of the group educated Rashmita’s mother about the legal age and other damaging effects of child marriage. It took time to persuade Rashmita’s mother but frequent counseling and follow- up with Rashmita’s family could finally help stop the marriage.
After being aware of such consequences of child marriage, Rashmita’s mother passed the information to groom’s family. Unfortunately, the age of the groom was also nineteen which is not permissible age by law. So they were convinced by Rashmita’s mother that marriage is not possible till they reach their legal age of marriage.
Unfortunately, the story of Rashmita is not single in the race. Annual Health Survey 2010-11 reveals that 9 per cent female get married below legal age at marriage among women only in Ganjam. UNICEF in its report in 2012 also highlights that 37.2 per cent of girls married before legal age of marriage in Odisha. According to the International Center for Research on Women, one in nine girls globally will be married before the age of 15.Girls younger than 15 who are forced into marriage are five times more likely to die in childbirth than women in their 20s. They also are more likely to experience domestic violence and live in poverty.
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) which co-hosted a panel on child marriage at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in 2013 has revealed that more than 140 million girls will become child brides by 2020 if current rates of early marriage continue. Of that number of girls aged under 18, 50 million will be younger than 15, the agency reported.
(The writer is a freelancer and a development sector professional. He can be contacted at nabamaster@gmail.com)
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