BHUBANESWAR: Taking the fight against child marriage to the last mile, the state government on Sunday launched a campaign with a promise to end the social evil by 2030.
Child marriage remains a significant social issue in the state with around 20.5 per cent of women aged 20-24 reported to have married before the legal age of 18 allegedly due to deep-rooted cultural and social norms, poverty, low literacy and traditional practices in some tribal communities.
Although the figure is below the national average of 23.3 per cent, as per NFHS-5, the prevalence is higher in 12 districts with Nabarangpur, Nayagarh, Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri and Mayurbhanj reporting a prevalence rate of 30 per cent. Nabarangpur recorded the highest 39.4 per cent of girls married under the age of 18 years.
Statistics reveal that there has been an increase in the prevalence of child grooms in Odisha, rising from 11 per cent in NFHS-4 to 13.3 per cent in NFHS-5. Underage marriage is more prevalent in rural areas (14.8 per cent) as compared to urban areas (7.41 per cent).
As part of the campaign, Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy flagged off ‘Bal Vivah Mukti Rath’, which is adorned with a pledge wall and awareness messages against child marriage will travel through villages and towns across the state till March 8.
Reaffirming the commitment for the dignity and safety of the state’s daughters and ending child marriage, Padhy said there are districts with a high prevalence of child marriage, but the Odisha government is firmly committed to end this crime.
“The state government has taken several proactive steps to prevent child marriage, including designating panchayat executive officers and hostel wardens as child marriage prohibition officers and appointing all headmasters as child marriage information officers. We will make Odisha child marriage free at the earliest,” she said.
Equipped with powerful slogans spread both as posters and through loudspeakers and a pledge-signing board, the ‘Bal Vivah Mukti Rath’ is designed to reach the most remote and marginalised communities along its route. While four-wheeler campaign vehicles will cover routes with major roads and better accessibility, the most remote villages with poor connectivity will be reached through motorcycle or cycle caravans across the state.
Padhy was accompanied by chairman of Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR) Babita Patra. The government has also launched ‘Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah Yojana’ to curb child marriage.
Bal Vivah Mukti Rath, an initiative of Just Rights for Children (JRC), is part of the Centre’s 100-day intensive nationwide campaign to end child marriage. The campaign event was organised by JRC partner Ruchika Social Service Organisation (RSSO).
CEO of RSSO Benudhar Senapati said the rath will cover schools, gram sabhas, religious institutions and historical sites and spread the message through street plays, cultural programmes and survivors’ stories.