BHUBANESWAR: After several years of multi-pronged interventions, the state has been able to bring down girl child marriages marginally. Yet, ending the scourge entirely remains a struggle for the government with the number of child grooms on the rise.
As per official reports, minor marriages are more prevalent in boys than girls in the state now. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data is a pointer. The state saw decline in the prevalence of girl child marriage from 21.3 per cent in NFHS-4 to 20.5 per cent in NFHS-5, a reduction of 0.8 per cent.
The only concern here is Nabarangpur where 9.4 per cent girls married under the age of 18 in comparison to the state average of 20.5 per cent and the national average of 23.3 per cent.
However, when it comes to marriage of boys below the legal age of 21, the percentage increased to 13.3 per cent in NFHS-5 compared to 11 per cent in NFHS-4. The percentage is higher at 14.8 in rural Odisha compared to 7.8 in urban. On the other hand, the national average of such marriages among boys which was 20.3 per cent in NFHS-4 came down to 17.7 per cent in NFHS-5.
While there are several factors that contribute to rise in numbers of child marriages among boys, lack of access to education and vocational training is one of the most important, said child rights activists. As per reports, only 38.6 per cent of men in the age group of 15 to 49 in the state have completed 10 years of schooling. The activists added unlike child brides, child grooms do not have to relocate to a new place but they come under the pressure of providing for their new family which forces them to join the unskilled labour force.
“Early marriage brings early fatherhood, and with it, added pressure to provide for a family, cutting short education and job opportunities,” said Ghasiram Panda, programme manager in ActionAid. Officials in the Women and Child Development department said the focus has already been shifted to adolescent boys now as far as ending the age-old practice and empowering them are concerned through the new ADVIKA scheme.
Commissioner-cum-secretary of Women and Child Development department Shubha Sarma has directed collectors of all districts to develop a comprehensive database of adolescent boys which will serve as a foundational resource for implementation of the scheme. Under it, boys will get job-oriented skill training through ORMAS/OLM, DDU-GKY, World Skill Centre and other government ITIs.
“Government has specifically allocated Rs 50 crore for the targeted ADVIKA intervention. If implemented properly, it will bring a change in the scenario,” Panda added.
The state currently has 50 panchayats which have been identified as vulnerable as far as high incidence of child marriages is concerned. The latest National Crime Record Bureau data states that 64 FIRs have been registered in the state pertaining to child marriage.
Current Scenario
Percentage of Child grooms increased to 13.3 pc in NFHS-5 as compared to 11 pc in NFHS-4
Lack of access to education, vocational training is an important reason
Child grooms come under pressure of providing for new family, forcing them to join unskilled labour force