GS Paper 1
Syllabus: Social issues
Source: UNICEF
Context: According to UNICEF, multiple crises are threatening to reverse hard-earned gains in the decline in child marriage.
Child marriage:
- It refers to any formal marriage or informal union between a child under the age of (18 for females and 21 for males in India) and an adult or another child.
- Most child marriages involve girls, many of whom are in poor socio-economic conditions.
Data on child marriage:
- Worldwide, an estimated 640 million girls and women alive today were married in childhood, or 12 million girls per year.
- Child marriages have declined from 21 to 19% (globally) since the last estimates were released five years ago.
- However, global reductions would have to be 20 times faster to meet SDG (5.3) of ending child marriage by 2030.
Status in India:
- While India has recorded significant progress in recent decades, it still accounts for one-third of the global total (India’s child marriage rate is 21% as per NHFS-5).
- Eight States have a higher prevalence of child marriage than the national average – West Bengal, Bihar and Tripura top the list with more than 40% of women aged 20-24 years married below 18.
Most affected regions:
- South Asia continues to remain home to nearly half (45%) of the world’s child brides.
- Sub-Saharan Africa is home to the second-largest global share of child brides (20%).
Highlights of the UNICEF’s findings:
- The world is engulfed by a ‘Polycrisis’ – a cluster of related global risks with compounding effects, such that the overall impact exceeds the sum of each part.
- Health and economic crises (rising poverty, income shocks), escalating armed conflicts, climate change shocks and the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 are forcing families into child marriage.
- Girls living in fragile settings are twice as likely to become child brides as the average girl globally.
Fig: Factors Driving Child Marriage
Immediate and lifelong consequences on girls:
- Less likely to remain in school.
- Difficult for girls to access health care, social services and community support that protect them from child marriage.
- Increased risk of early pregnancy → increasing the risk of child and maternal health complications and mortality.
- Can also isolate girls from family and friends, taking a heavy toll on their mental health and well-being.
Laws and policy interventions in India:
- The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012 aim at protecting children from violation of human and other rights.
- A parliamentary standing committee is weighing the pros and cons of raising the age of marriage for women to 21, which has been cleared by the Union Cabinet.
- Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana: The government launched this scheme in 2015 to encourage parents to save money for the future of their girl child
- Kanyashree Prakalpa Scheme: The West Bengal government launched this scheme in 2013 to promote the education and welfare of girls and prevent child marriage in the state.
- National Plan of Action for Children: The plan includes strategies to prevent child marriage and promote education and healthcare for children
- Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme
Way ahead for India:
- The solution lies in empowering girls, creating proper public infrastructure and addressing societal norms.
- At the gram panchayat level, ensuring that Child Protection Committees and Child Marriage Prohibition officers are doing the job and activating community support groups.
- Best practice: Odisha now has over 12,000 Child Marriage Free Villages.
Conclusion:
It is possible to end child marriage, which requires unwavering support for vulnerable girls and families. The focus should be on keeping girls in school and making sure they have economic opportunities.
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