Unless the perception of a girl child being ‘paraya dhan’ is disposed, kid marriages will continue

Despite all the big talk on girl child welfare, especially by loudmouth politicians, 60 girls die of child marriage every day around the world, six of them in South Asia. These shocking revelations come from a report by 'Save the Children', which was released on October 11, the International Day of the Girl Child. The study claims that young girls married at an early age succumb to pregnancy and childbirth. According to the report, in South Asia alone, 2,000 young girls die every year and 22,000 globally. Beyond South Asia, the number of such deaths in East Asia and the Pacific is 650 a year. In Latin America and the Caribbean, 560 girls die of early childbirth issues. The situation is worse in Western and Central Africa where child marriage is the norm. Almost half of the deaths are reported from there. This is despite the fact that due to the collective effort of the United Nations and the Governments around the world, 80 million child marriages have been prevented in the last 25 years. The report warns that 10 million girls are now at risk as they are expected to marry by 2030 in their early years.

This is a side-effect of the Coronavirus pandemic, which has stripped people of their sources of income. They are thus marrying off their daughters early. The young girls are also at the risk of domestic violence as they are often burdened with household chores and punished for minor mistakes. The report notwithstanding, the plight of the girls getting married early is far worse. Often such marriages are a compromise where the groom is much older than the girl. They often face violence and sexual exploitation from their family members. Even if they survive the pregnancy and childbirth, their health takes a heavy toll often leading to lifelong weakness and menstrual disorders. In India, especially in States like Rajasthan and Haryana, the situation is much worse and with the skewed sex ratio, girls are pushed into the marriage at an early age. The Prime Minister had rightly taken up the cause of ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’, but not much happened after that as the drive lost steam somewhere on the way. The campaign just ended being a slogan on the truck backs. It is high time to start it with renewed vigour and in right earnest.