MANSI BHAMBRI | Dehradun
Experts said that a lack of awareness regarding education and the idea of independence, combined with the impact of social media, has encouraged teenage girls for child marriage. Most of such girls are aged between 14 and 17 years. This issue was underscored following information shared by a centre administrator at the one-stop centre in Rudraprayag, Ranjana Gairola Bhatt about how the centre has prevented 15 child marriages so far this year.
Talking to The Pioneer, Bhatt said that she has been working at the one-stop centre in Rudraprayag since 2019. The primary goal of the centre is to address issues of violence, crime and other challenges faced by women and young girls. She said that the centre is dedicated to supporting women in Rudraprayag to help them avoid various difficulties. Bhatt stated that starting in September 2024, the centre began organising awareness programmes at colleges, schools and various locations focusing on child marriage.
She said that through this initiative, the centre has received considerable support as more people become aware of the negative consequences and legal repercussions associated with child marriage. She said that sources such as Anganwadi workers and other sources have alerted the centre to instances of child marriage occurring in the Rudraprayag district.
She highlighted the collaboration with Child Helpline in this effort. From January to March this year, they successfully prevented a total of 15 child marriages reported by these sources, managing to do so through counselling of parents and others involved in these activities rather than direct intervention. She said that during their efforts to halt these child marriages, they found that, aside from parents, many girls themselves showed a greater inclination towards marrying at a young age. The marriages they intervened in involved individuals aged between 14 and 17 years.
She said that during counselling sessions, parents were informed about the negative consequences and punishments associated with child marriage. She also emphasised that the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) would help address instances of child marriage. To support this initiative, she stated that they are planning to organise a special awareness programme concerning the UCC.
Commenting on the trend of girls engaging in child marriage a clinical neuropsychologist Dr Sona Kaushal Gupta said that factors like the lack of education, the undervaluation of independence, the absence of positive role models and the influence of social media have all contributed to this issue. Additionally, she said that in many families, mothers who share their experiences of early marriage sway teenage girls aged 14 to 17 years towards this choice.
To combat this trend, she suggested that the government should enhance awareness programmes that actively involve both girls and their parents, educating them about the potential mental and physical harm associated with child marriage.Instead of sharing their experiences, parents should become role models in terms of motivating their children for education. An awareness programme on the importance of education should also be organised by NGOs to overcome child marriages, she said.
