Child marriage, defined as the formal or informal union of a boy or girl before the age of 18, has seen an alarming increase across parts of India during the lockdown. Recent reports indicate Karnataka activists and organisations voicing concern over increased child marriages to the Ministry of Women and Child Development. ChildLine India’s report in December 2020 also indicates the same trend in rural Madhya Pradesh, with the pandemic and subsequent lockdown identified as new catalysts for this socio-legal issue.
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that each year at least 1.5 million underage girls are married off in India. This accounts for one-third of the total number of child brides worldwide, making India the country with the highest number of child marriages. A recent study by The Lancet suggests an additional 2.5 million girls globally could face child marriage within the next five years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Causes of Increased Child Marriages in Lockdown
One major reason for the rise in child marriage during the lockdown is the absence of an effective alert mechanism. Earlier, when marriages were conducted in public spaces like wedding halls or temples, there were greater chances of alerting relevant authorities and stopping these illegal unions. However, with weddings shifting to homes due to lockdown, these alerts have reduced substantially.
Moreover, the economic pressures induced by the pandemic have forced many poor families to marry off their daughters early. With schools closed, safety concerns, particularly for girls, have also escalated, leading to an increase in violence against children and a surge in child marriages.
General Causes of Child Marriages
Child marriage is typically driven by social and economic factors. Age plays a crucial role, with parents often viewing ages 15 to 18 as unproductive, especially for girls, and choosing to marry them off during this period. Insecurity also fuels child marriages as law and order fail to provide a secure environment for adolescent girls. Other reasons include poverty, politics, lack of education, patriarchy, and gender inequalities.
The Impact of Child Marriage
Child marriage contributes to larger families and population growth, delaying the demographic dividend that could result from reduced fertility and investment in education. This is not only detrimental to families, but also to the child brides themselves. Early marriage often leads to school dropouts, limiting their potential to contribute economically to their communities and increasing their vulnerability to domestic violence and HIV/AIDS. Additionally, young brides are at a higher risk of dying due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
Government Initiatives to Prevent Child Marriages
The government has implemented several measures to combat child marriages. The Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929 restricts child marriages, while the Special Marriage Act, 1954, and Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, establish the minimum age for marriage at 18 for women and 21 for men. The Union Ministry for Women and Child Development has also set up a committee to improve maternal health and nutritional levels among women. Furthermore, Prevention of Child Marriage is part of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, which seeks to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
A Path Forward
To effectively address the child marriage issue during the pandemic, strong child protection measures must be integrated into the work of essential health workers. India’s robust workforce of grassroots workers can play a pivotal role in ensuring that vulnerable children, particularly girls, are protected from early marriages. This may involve awareness counseling and assisting families to access benefits that would discourage child marriages.