Deboraj Baruati
(hbaruati@gmail.com)
Girls lose their youth because of child marriage. It threatens their lives and health. According to UNICEF, girls who marry before 18 are more likely to experience domestic violence and less likely to remain in school. They have worse economic and health outcomes than their unmarried peers, which are eventually passed down to their own children, further straining a country's capacity to provide quality health and education services. Child brides often become pregnant during adolescence, when the risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth increases – for themselves and their infants. The practice can also isolate girls from family and friends and exclude them from participating in their communities, taking a heavy toll on their physical and psychological well-being. Child marriage has significant economic costs at the national level as well, with significant consequences for growth and prosperity since it affects a girl's health, future, and family.
In Assam, on an average 31% of girls are married off by their families before the legal marriage age of 18 according to a report by the health department. Nationally the number is 23.3. Dhubri has been reported to have the most child marriages in Assam, followed by Barpeta, Nagaon, and other areas where the minority population is more prevalent. However, there have also been reports of child marriages in upper Assam's Dhemaji, Majuli, and Sivsagar districts.
The Chief Minister of Assam has stated that tough measures would be taken to prevent child marriage. Men who marry girls below 14 years in the state will be booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. There are around 1 lakh cases of child marriage in Assam already. Only a few days after Sharma's announcement, four persons from Barpeta have been arrested in connection with the marriage of a 16-year-old girl.
Child marriage can lead to a number of issues. It is one of the main issues contributing to maternal mortality. It acts as a barrier to the achievement of gender equality. Child brides are likely to come into contact with sexually transited diseases. Child marriage is caused by a variety of causes, including family poverty, social insecurity, avoiding expenditure on female education, avoiding share in ancestral property etc. The practice is also supported by gender roles and marriage age norms, stereotypes, and the socio-economic risk of unmarried pregnancy. Girls are seen to have no other function outside getting married since social standards place less emphasis on them than they do on boys. They are anticipated to help with household duties and chores in order to be prepared for their marriage.
However, the issue of child marriage cannot be resolved by rigorous legal measures. It is a societal issue that requires public awareness. It can be managed up to a degree, but it cannot be eliminated forcibly. Child marriage is one of the societal problems that cannot be effectively controlled without society's help. Education is one way to curb this problem.