Child marriages more prevalent in central and western India: Study
Nearly 7 per cent of the girls in the country are married before they attain 15 years of age and nearly 27 per cent before their 18th birthday, according to a study by Girls Not Brides, an NGO
India’s GDP may be the fifth highest in the world, but at the ground level, it has not helped check child marriages in various states, particularly in rural areas. As per a study done by an NGO called Girls Not Brides, nearly 7 per cent of the girls in the country are married before they attain 15 years of age and nearly 27 per cent before their 18th birthday.
According to the study, India has the highest absolute number of women married or in a union before the age of 18 in the world – 15.64 crore.
Girls Not Brides is a global network of over 1,600 civil society organisations from over 100 countries committed to ending child marriage.
Also read: Pandemic, lockdown woes led to rise in child marriages in India
Child marriage is more prevalent in rural areas and, in general, the rate of child marriages is higher in the central and western parts of India. For instance, child marriage rates in Rajasthan and Bihar range from 47 per cent to 51 per cent.
Patriarchal norms
Patriarchal social norms are one of the main reasons for child marriages. “These norms consider that married women and girls belong to their husband’s family and women are generally seen as an economic burden. Girls are expected to be adaptable, docile, hardworking and talented wives. Customary laws based on religion are a major barrier in ending child marriages in India,” said the study.
Until a daughter is married, her chastity is considered to be the responsibility of her father. “This motivates men to marry off their daughters early. Social pressure to marry at puberty can be enormous within certain castes. Some girls are promised in marriage before they are born in order to ‘secure’ their future. Once they reach puberty, ‘send-off’ ceremonies take place and they are sent to their husband’s home to commence the married life,” said the study.
Importance of literacy
The level of literacy plays a major role in preventing child marriages. Women with no education are six times more likely to get married than those with 10 years of education or more. “Many families consider girls to be someone else’s wealth. This means that a girl’s productive capacities benefit her marital family, and educating daughters is therefore seen as less of a priority than educating sons, who are responsible for taking care of their biological parents in old age,” the study noted.
Given a lack of jobs and employment opportunities, there is low value for education especially in rural areas where distance and low quality of education are active barriers to girls’ education beyond middle school, the study observed.
Also read: How a Telangana village is banishing dogmas, celebrating the girl child
Some girls are married off due to lack of safety and fear of violence against women and girls in public spaces, with many such cases being reported every day. However, a 2014 study found that child brides in India are at greater risk of sexual and physical violence within their marital home, said the study.
