Arrest, suicide, fear. In Assam, a 17-year-old girl ended her life because she could not marry the man she loved; A young widow and mother-in-law of two children killed herself because she feared that her father would be arrested. Apparently to reduce infant and maternal mortality, the state government has launched a campaign to arrest people involved in child marriages. This is a case of a good cause gone wrong. Over 2,400 arrests have been made, while the High Court has rightly questioned the police for “creating havoc”.
Child marriage is not only illegal, but it also deprives girls of education and opportunities. This prevents them from building a career and fulfilling other aspirations. It affects their health, well-being and ability to take charge of their lives. With almost one in four Indian girls married before the age of 18, India has the highest number of child brides in the world. According to the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21), 32% of women in the age group of 20-24 years in Assam are married before the age of 18. Also, 12% of women aged 15-19 in the state were mothers or pregnant. Early pregnancy adversely affects the physical, emotional and mental health of young mothers. This puts the lives of babies at risk.
While it is imperative to end child marriage, it is equally important to underline that this harmful practice is deeply rooted in socio-cultural norms and gender inequalities. It is driven by poverty, financial insecurity and lack of education. Pandemics and disasters have led to a spurt in child marriage. UNICEF’s 2021 report on Covid as a threat to progress on this front states that school closures, economic stress, service disruptions, pregnancy and parental death due to the pandemic have pushed the most vulnerable girls into child marriage. put them at risk, because their poor parents saw marriage as a solution to many problems; There could be an additional 10 million child marriages before the end of the decade, according to reports, threatening years of progress in reducing the practice.
Despite being illegal since 1978, child marriage is socially accepted in India. There has been a marginal decline in their numbers over the last five years (from 27% in NFHS-4 2015-16) to (NFHS-5 2019-21). The Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE, 2017-18) shows that while 65% of girls complete secondary education nationally, only 52% do so in Assam. The data also shows that 81.3% of girls in Assam (compared to the national average of 79.4%) attended secondary school, with only 42% continuing to the higher secondary level. All India, out of 79.4% girls enrolled in secondary education, 58% went on to the next level. Assam must ensure that girls (and boys) get higher education, which will help delay marriage and find work.
Instead of punishing people without warning, the government of Assam needs to address the social causes that allow this practice to persist for centuries. More efforts to create a gender-equal state would be a step in the right direction. For example, in Kerala, with a 97% female literacy rate (NFHS-5), there has been a significant decline in child marriage. About 6% of women aged 20-24 (2019-21) were married before the age of 18 (NFHS-5).
Sudden mass arrests and use of force is not the solution. Legislation is a necessary but insufficient condition for discouraging a practice. Sadly, the law on child marriage has been in cold storage for four decades. The Assam government started implementing it one fine morning, and retrospectively at that. People have been kept unaware, which has created anxiety and chaos affecting the socio-political environment in the country.
While Assam has decided to take legal action under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act and Prohibition of Child Marriage Act against men who marry girls below the age of 14, there is criticism that POCSO criminalizes exploitative sexual behavior and normal sexual expression by juveniles, and both. Revision in the age of consent has been sought.
Given how important it is to stop child marriage, we need a campaign that has a clear message that legal action will be taken against violators. The state should invest in social and behavior change communication, education and skilling youth, especially girls, to enable them to pursue further education and delay marriage and child birth. Patriarchal norms that keep youth out of matrimonial decisions should be addressed in a similar way. We found that communication efforts can get results. An entertainment-education series produced by the Population Foundation of India, Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon, seeks to influence the social determinants of health and create a mass movement for a healthier, cleaner and more equitable society. One assessment showed a sharp advantage (2% to 31%) among men who saw it on knowledge of the adverse consequences of early marriage.
Education and mass campaigns work better than sudden use of force. We must increase investment to support adolescents, especially girls, with education, health and skills. Including age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education for them in the curriculum will help their reproductive health. Anything less than this would be a shortcut that would not provide a permanent solution. The irony is that many Indians still see early marriage as a problem, not a problem. Our challenge is to work systematically on all fronts, including the legal action planned in the future.
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