India: Unique plan to prevent child marriage – Advika

The morning sun is rising in coastal Gopalpur in India’s eastern state Odisha. This new sun seems to open a new opportunity for children. This is an opportunity – a chance to go to school for education, which will show them the path to fulfill their dreams and aspirations. But if we talk about girls, often this series of opportunities suddenly stops for them with the first menstruation. In Odisha, there is a local tradition of celebrating the first menstruation of a girl – Bhoj. The festival celebrates a girl’s beginning of womanhood, invites relatives, and involves music and dancing for seven consecutive days. This is also considered to be a sign that now the girl is ready for marriage. Shilo Pradhan, a young member of Advika Initiative, narrating her experience says, “There were some people at the party who wanted to make me the daughter-in-law of their house. Wanted. But at that time I did not know much about marriage. My future in-laws had also brought a lehenga (Indian traditional dress) for me. I was only 14 years old at that time.” Odisha state, which has a population of more than 83 lakh children in the age group of 10 to 19 years, accounts for about 20 percent of the cases of child marriage recorded in the country. However, this is less than the national average of 23.3 percent (NFHS 5 data). The state has also seen a decline in the sex ratio at birth, at a rate of 894 girls per 1,000 boys. The most shocking thing is that 7.6 percent of adolescent girls either become pregnant or become mothers by the age of 19. © UNICEF/Prashanth Vishwanathan In these villages of Gopalpur, girls face innumerable obstacles. “Everyone advised my mother to get me married,” says Asha Sahu, another young member of Advika. He said, “Now that you have married your elder daughter, how will you manage your small shop? How will you send your daughter to an engineering college with its income?” My mother asked me to marry her. I told her that I want to work, I want to be successful in life. But my mother did not agree to this. Child marriage remains a big issue in this region of the state. “At that time, the issue of child marriage was not taken seriously and was prevalent throughout the village,” says Anganwadi worker Sujata Subhadharshini. “I used to tell everyone about the dangers of child marriage and early pregnancy. Due to this, there is a risk of stillbirth and death of the mother.” © UNICEF/Prashanth Vishwanathan Advika – “I am Unique” In 2019, the Government of Odisha, with support from UNICEF, launched a five-year (2019-24) Strategic Action Plan (SAP) to end child marriage in the state by 2030. Various departments, civil society, community, family, teenagers and youth were included in this scheme. Under this, the foundation of the Advika program was laid in October 2020. Abida Parveen, District Coordinator of the Social Welfare Department in the Government of Odisha, said, “Earlier child marriage was very common, because girls were considered a burden in the villages here. She believed that it was better to get girls married as early as possible. Advika Yojana aims to strengthen state structures and mechanisms, organize meetings and discussions between various departments, and raise awareness about child protection issues. To prevent child marriage through various strategies including empowerment of adolescents and community participation. To achieve these goals, a multi-sectoral task force was created under the Advika scheme, capacity building of district and sub-district systems A comprehensive training package and monitoring framework was developed and implemented. The program established various platforms to empower adolescents through education, skill development and leadership training, increase their participation in community engagement and civic engagement. Were encouraged to do. A Community Responsibility Under Advika Yojana, although all the members and sections have united to end the evil of child marriage, but convincing the community that child marriage is against child rights was a big challenge. Sarpanch Sasmita of a village Kumari says, “When Anganwadi workers used to go to homes, people used to misbehave with them. They harassed and abused them.” Then he himself took the responsibility of going door to door with the Anganwadi workers. Now, if a case of child marriage comes to light, people know who to turn to for help. Sasmita Kumari, to convey a strong message to people, reiterates the risks and consequences of child marriage in her community. Organize rallies in. She says, “We try to solve as many problems as possible in our society through rallies. We urge people not to marry underage children. “If they ignore it, it would be illegal and considered a crime.” Teachers and schools have also played an important and influential role in reducing the cases of child marriage. Rajesh Mohanty, Principal of the local government school, made this his priority. He says, “When I joined this programme, we held a joint meeting with teenage girls and their parents. We oppose the proposal of early child marriage; We highlight the impact it has on children. “In the PTA meeting, we especially make the parents aware of its pros and cons.” © UNICEF/Prashanth Vishwanathan The impact of Advika’s Right to Life can be clearly seen. Gopalpur is now child marriage free. Although there are still reports of sporadic marriages, this system has helped a lot in preventing child marriage. Abida Parveen, District Coordinator of the Social Welfare Department in the Government of Odisha, says, “Advika Yojana has contributed the most in this. Advika program is held every Saturday at all Anganwadi centres.” “All the girls, whether in school or out of school, gather there and discuss issues like child marriage. There is open discussion there about the adverse effects of early marriage on a girl’s body and mind. That’s why such a big difference has been seen and we have been successful in curbing child marriage to a great extent.”

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