Artists perform in play to create awareness against child marriage in Kashmir

Poonch, Apr 5 (ANI): A street play against child marriage was staged in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch region on Sunday.

The skit, lasting about an hour, also gave a message of communal harmony. top official said they would try to telecast the play on television channels for public awareness.

"We will try that the play is telecast on the television channels so that it creates an awareness among the people that they should not marry a girl child as it is illegal as well," said Manmohan Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police.

Renowned drama writer Balwant Thakur said theatre still remained the most effective and lasting medium of mass communication.

"Theatre is the most effective medium of communication. For communication, instruction, mass communication, live performance is the best medium. The message given with the help of theatre is not only adopted by the people but it also provokes them to inform others about it," Thakur said.

Although child marriage has been declared illegal by the Indian lawmakers, the practice is still rampant in rural parts of India.

Researchers analysed data from a national family health survey that was conducted from 2005 to 2006 in India. The survey involved 22,807 Indian women who were aged between 20 and 24 at the time of the survey.

Of these, 22.6 percent were married before they were 16, 44.5 percent were married when they were between 16 and 17, and 2.6 percent were married before they turned 13. (ANI)