According to NFHS-5, 28.3% of women in the 20-24 age group in rural areas of Rajasthan got married before 18 years.
| Photo Credit: File Photo
A 15-year-old girl’s courageous stand against child marriage recently has initiated reforms in her village in Rajasthan’s Karauli district. Tula Ram, the father of Shivika (name changed), burdened with debt and joblessness, had planned to marry off his four daughters, aged 17, 15, 14, and 13, on the same day.
The four were in school and wanted to continue their education, but when their father expressed his helplessness due to poverty, they seemed to have no choice. Ram had found the “perfect match” for the eldest and was on a mission to fix the marriages of his three other daughters. Shivika, however, was not ready to accept this fate.
Ram’s house would earlier ring with the infectious laughter of the four girls, who shared dreams and made their modest home feel alive. Their laughter disappeared with pressure building up for marriage.
High prevalence
For Ram, getting his daughters married on the same day would have meant saving a lot of money. He was planning four marriages in a single ceremony in the village of Karauli district, where the prevalence of child marriage is 33.5%, far exceeding the national average of 23.3%, as per the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5), released in 2022.
NFHS-5 showed that 28.3% of women in the 20-24 age group in rural areas of Rajasthan were married before 18 years; the figure in urban areas was 15.1%.
Though child marriage in the State is a traditional custom that enjoys religious and cultural sanction, children often find such alliances mismatched when they grow up.
Desperate for a solution, Shivika turned to her teachers, who, though unsure how to intervene directly, directed her to an NGO that had recently conducted an awareness session in their school.
When Shivika called the group’s representatives, they promptly responded and asked her to visit their office. They sensed that she was extremely disturbed and needed help.
Accompanied by a friend almost her age, Shivika visited the office of Gramrajya Vikas Evam Prashikshan Sansthan a week before the planned marriages. The office, lined with posters on child rights and against child marriage, felt like a sanctuary. Shivika clutched her friend’s hand, her voice barely above a whisper as she explained her plight.
‘Unexplainable relief’
“We assured Shivika that no one would know about her visit or that she had informed us about it. We also told her that we would take up the matter from here. The relief on her face was unexplainable when we said from here on stopping the marriages was our responsibility, not hers,” Sansthan director Chhail Bihari Sharma told The Hindu.
Sansthan is a partner of the Just Rights for Children Alliance and has been working in various districts of the State to protect child rights. It was instrumental in getting a direction from the Rajasthan High Court recently, which stated that panchayats and village heads would be held responsible for any child marriages in their villages.
The group’s members, accompanied by Child Line officials, met Shivika’s parents immediately. “When confronted, the parents denied the information. But the daughters mustered the courage to stand up to their father. They told the officials that the marriages were fixed and would take place in less than a week,” Sharma said.
The team explained to Ram the legal and social consequences of child marriage. He conceded and signed an undertaking that he would not allow the marriages of his daughters before they turned 18.
The girls are back in school now. Shivika wants to become a social worker and save other girls from unwanted marriages. Sansthan also helped Ram find a job so that he is not swayed by circumstances to marry off his daughters.
Shivika’s fight is a reminder to the villagers that knowledge, courage, and community support can rewrite the future of girls. “Her dream to save her sisters is proof that even one voice can spark a revolution,” Sharma said.
Holistic approach
Just Rights for Children Alliance convener Ravi Kant said its partners are tirelessly working at the grassroots level in the State to combat child marriages.
By collaborating closely with the State government and district authorities, they are also connecting vulnerable families with government schemes.
According to Kant, this holistic approach will ensure immediate prevention and long-term safeguards against child marriage.
Published – December 29, 2024 01:43 am IST
