After Assam’s decisive action, India needs “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, Beti ko Sikhao” to end child marriages!

The recent campaign around child marriages in Assam by CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and invoking of the POCSO Act for offenders by the state's government has brought back the attention to the girl child.

Assam has a high prevalence of child marriages. In fact, according to National Family Health Survey- V (NFHS-V) report, it increased to 31.8% in 2019-20 from 30.8% in 2015-16. This is higher than the national average of reported 23.3% of women in the age group of 20-24 years who were married before turning 18.

Even according to the Sample Registration System (SRS) report of Registrar General of India (RGI), the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) per lakh females is at 195 in Assam, which is double than the national MMR average of 97. These figures demonstrate that the action by the Assam government had become a necessity to curb the menace of child marriage.

In the context of child marriages, we must look at the impact of the right to education (RTE) and the Beti Bachao - Beti Padhao scheme that was launched by PM Narendra Modi in 2015 for the girl child, Both schemes have been able to slightly improve child sex ratio and overall impact on changing the mindset of people towards girls, their education and health. Even some attitudinal and behavioural changes can be seen around the birth of a female child in rural and backward areas, to an extent.

The figures to pay attention to are: Sex Ratio at Birth or SRB that has improved by 16 points from 918 (2014-15) to 934 (2019-20), as per the HMIS data of MoH&FW. The percentage of 1st Trimester ANC Registration has shown an improving trend from 61% in 2014-15 to 71% in 2019-20 ( As per HMIS, MoH&FW).

Most families availing Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao scheme for their children are financially distressed. However, the RTE is only till the age of 14. When a girl child leaves school after 14, where she was also getting at least one of her daily meals through the mid-day meal scheme, she pretty much becomes a burden for her family. The poor families find marrying them off as the best solution after primary school.

As a reformative action aligning various ministries like those of Education, Skill Development, Women & Child Development along with Health & Family Welfare to create more programs on a compulsory basis after primary education could incentivise these families to encourage some more years of education for their daughters.

In this case, an increase in the age of free and compulsory education for children up to 18 years of age and to include at least 4 years of skill training post their primary education of 14 years, could keep our girls in school and away from child marriage.

The courses could range from not just basic home skills, and computer skills but also include topics of health and nutrition. This would ensure that going forward when these girls eventually get married, they are better equipped to deal with their household matters and finances. They would also be ready to deal with their own nutritional needs whenever they decide to expand their families at pre, during, and post-natal stages.

Also, with RTE not only do these girls get an education with meals till age 14, but they are also safer too. The data for crime against women is not too encouraging, and most families fear for their daughters, so marriage seems like the best route.

Now, if these skill development schools of higher studies are also resident schools, it would be even better. Since then, the safety of these girls would be the duty of the state. And the years when they are usually married off will be spent, in residence, in schools that make them employable in future.

The complicated problem of keeping families from marrying their teen daughters can be solved with a few innovative ideas. Moreover, all the Ministries are working in their own specific fields anyway. The task is to only bring them together since problems with no concrete solutions usually remain problematic.

This campaign needs to be taken up on a nationwide basis. Since if you see child marriage rates are highest in Jharkhand, West Bengal and Bihar besides Assam. The Maternal Mortality Ratio is high in most of the northern Indian states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab. States, where child marriages are higher, must follow the Assam model of implementing the law of the land to bring in accountability among people. Moreover, large-scale campaigns to spread awareness among people regarding the ill effects of child marriages is the need of the hour.

In the context of spreading awareness among people against child marriages, the nationwide Child Marriage Free India campaign launched by Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi in October, last year was a well-timed social movement. With the support of around 75000 women from across the country, it was carried out in 10000 villages in over 500 districts. The biggest grassroots-level campaign successfully awakened the conscience of the people to act against this social evil. A similar ethos can be observed in the political resolve of the Assam government. It is time that other state governments too showed a similar resolve and political will like the Assam government to act decisively against this social menace.

The fact is not only Assam but if the whole country moves to end child marriages in India, with a well thought about nation-wide child marriage free India campaign, we certainly achieve positive results. The whole country must look for strict compliance of law in cases of child marriage and child sexual abuse; must spread wider social awareness to build a child marriage free country; encourage action by citizens and reporting against child marriage and provide legal aid and rehabilitation of survivors of child marriage which should include free and compulsory education until 18 years of age.

About the author:
Shivani Pandey is a documentary film-maker and author.