Can India solve its child bride crisis?

*Sakshi, was a 16-year-old 10th grader last year when she discovered that her mother and relatives had arranged her marriage without her consent. The man she was set to marry was nearly a decade older. She had never met or known anything about him, other than that she was to marry him in a few weeks. 

In her impoverished neighbourhood of Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh, a central Indian state, the prevalence of underage girls entering into marriage was common.

While some families wedded their daughters in order to alleviate financial strain, others did so due to the fear that their girls might elope, while some simply adhered to the long-standing tradition within India's deeply patriarchal society. Sakshi witnessed this phenomenon within her own household when her older sisters were married off several years earlier.

Since her father's passing nearly nine years ago, Sakshi's mother has been solely supporting the family by working as a cook in neighbouring homes, earning a modest income. Faced with constant pressure from relatives and societal expectations, she believed that marriage was the optimal solution for Sakshi.

"I am the only daughter left to be married in our family. My mother feared that something wrong might happen to me or I might elope - like some other girls from our neighbourhood," Sakshi told FairPlanet. "She thought that it was her responsibility to get me married as soon as possible."

Determined to continue her education, Sakshi took action and sought help from her neighbour, who assisted her in contacting the Childline helpline (1098) and reporting her situation. 

"I had seen TV advertisements regarding early marriage being a criminal offence. I informed my neighbour about my impending marriage, and with her support I reached out to Childline, after which the Aarambh NGO team intervened to stop my marriage," she recounted. 

Aarambh, an NGO based in Bhopal, collaborates with Childline, India's national helpline for children in distress. Their primary focus is on child rights, child welfare and providing support to children and vulnerable communities. When Childline receives a distress call from a nearby area, it is transferred to Aarambh's team, who then initiate the rescue process. They are aided by a designated task force specifically trained to assist in such rescue operations.

"We first visit the police station where we get documents of permission to intervene in these cases, following which we meet the families and make them aware of the law," Archana Sahay, Founder and Director at Aarambh, explained to FairPlanet. "We make both parties sign an agreement claiming that they won’t get their children married until they turn of legal age."

She added, "After the rescue, we follow-up every few days with the families. We also help rehabilitate the girls by either helping them complete their education or by providing vocational training."

With Aarambh's support, Sakshi was able to resume her studies. She now aspires to get a degree in commerce and land a job in the public sector. 

According to a recent report by UNICEF, India is home to the largest number of child brides, accounting for one in three of the world’s child brides in 2021. While the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act of 2006 makes it illegal for girls under 18 years to marry, UNICEF estimated that at least 1.5 million underage girls are married off in India every year. 

The punishment for an adult male who contracts a marriage with an underage girlis a prison sentence of up to two years and fines of up to one lakh rupees (roughly USD 1,210). The penalty is similar for anyone who promotes or solemnises the marriage.

Rehabilitation after rescue

Much like Sakshi, *Mansi was rescued from being forced into marriage at the age of 16 about four years ago in Bhopal. She had to drop out of school in eighth grade due to poverty, after which she started accompanying her mother to work as a waste collector.  

Believing that marriage would provide Mansi with a secure and stable future, her mother, along with the assistance of relatives, arranged her marriage to a man twice her age in the neighbouring state of Maharashtra.

"I had no knowledge that my marriage had been arranged. They wanted to take me to Maharashtra and that’s when they told me that my marriage has been fixed," Mansi told FairPlanet. 

Mansi, on the other hand, had aspirations of working, gaining independence, and contributing to her mother's household. She witnessed firsthand the challenges faced by her older sisters, including experiencing abuse from their husbands after marriage, and was determined to avoid a similar fate.

"I saw my sisters struggle and knew the perils of marrying early. I called the Childline helpline, after which the Aarambh team visited my home and talked to my family. That’s how I saved myself."

After her rescue, Mansi started working full-time as a child rights volunteer at Aarambh. She aspires to resume her education, pursue a degree in social work and become a social activist dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating other young girls facing similar circumstances.

Progress is sluggish 

The same UNICEF report points out that the prevalence of child marriage in India has declined over the last two decades from 49 percent in 2001 to 23 percent in 2021. But the current rate of progress is insufficient, Sahay said.

She further highlighted that although child marriage rates had previously shown a decline, the COVID-19 pandemic reversed this positive trend, leading to a surge in reported cases during this challenging period.

"During the pandemic, the entire country saw a major economic crisis. For many low-income families, marrying off their daughters relieved them of one less mouth to feed. Many families also lost primary earners to COVID, which further increased the cases."

Awareness along with policy change is the key

The Population Foundation of India, a leading national NGO, actively engages in campaigns to shape social norms and behaviours around topics such as early marriage and family planning. One of their initiatives is the trans-media edutainment campaign called 'Main Kuchh Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon' (I can do anything I want), aimed at influencing attitudes and perceptions in society.

They believe that legislation alone cannot solve the problem, and put focus on raising awareness about existing laws and fostering a social environment that discourages child marriages.

"Ending child marriage requires a huge social mobilisation effort so that communities end this practice. At the same time, girls’ (and boys’) education needs to be encouraged. This will require improving and adding infrastructure and human resources for higher education," Alok Vajpayee, Lead Core Grants and Knowledge Management at Population Foundation of India, told FairPlanet.

He further noted that the law on child marriage should be adequately publicised, and argued that the government needs to make strategic investments in birth registration, health care, education and women’s empowerment. Once adequate precedent is in place, he said, India will be able to eradicate child marriage.

Sakshi and Mansi’s names have been altered for privacy and protection purposes. 

Image by Timon Studler.