When 14-year-old Saismruti experienced her first period, her mother followed a decades-old local tradition by immediately isolating her in a nearby house for six days. No male member, including her father, was allowed to visit or see her during this time. On the seventh day, Saismruti was welcomed back home, and a community feast was held to celebrate her attainment of puberty. In Dubagada, a village in the Phulbani block of Odisha’s tribal-dominated Kandhamal district, this feast traditionally serves as a public announcement that a girl has reached a marriageable age. It is during this gathering that alliances are often fixed, and weddings arranged within weeks.
With every custom related to Saismruti’s first menarche being followed meticulously, her relatives expected her father, Arjun Behara, to announce her engagement, as tradition demanded. When no such news came, many were surprised. Their surprise soon turned into shock when Behara declared that although he had followed the cultural rituals, he had no intention of marrying Saismruti off for the next seven to eight years. His daughter, a Class 8 student, had clearly expressed her wish to continue her education, and he intended to support her decision for as long as she wanted to study.
In a state that accounts for 20.5 per cent of child marriage cases in India, this break from at least one customary practice holds great promise-especially for Saismruti’s two younger sisters. Rural Odisha reports an even higher child marriage rate at 21.7 per cent (NFHS-5). But had Saismruti and her parents not been part of Advika, a state government programme to end child marriage, this small but significant breakthrough might never have happened.
Launched in 2020, Advika is part of a five-year collaborative strategy between the Odisha government and UNICEF to reach over 8.3 million children aged 10-19. The programme aims to empower adolescents through education, skill development, and leadership training so they can make informed decisions during their formative years. Essential life skills-including digital literacy, career guidance, and employability training-are provided every Saturday at anganwadi centres during Advika Divas.
Crucially, the programme offers a safe platform for adolescents to discuss sensitive issues such as child marriage and its impact on a girl’s body and mind. Along with anganwadi workers, teachers and child protection officials trained under Advika lead these conversations, and parents are invited to participate. It was during these discussions that Saismruti, a regular attendee, learned about the adverse consequences of child marriage. She encouraged her parents to join the community sessions as part of Advika’s outreach efforts. She had no idea that this small step would bring a transformative change to her life.
Being part of Advika helped her parents understand the value of education. Her father realised that had he not dropped out of school after Class 8, he might have had a better life. A daily wage labourer, he now wants his bright daughter to continue her education and use it to achieve her potential.
Another initiative under this multipronged strategy is the Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) Corner, introduced recently to prevent adolescent girls from missing school during their periods. Launched as a pilot in two schools-Dutipada Government High School and Dutimendi Panchayat High School in Phulbani-the MHM corners provide girls with a safe, private space during menstruation. Located within the girls’ washroom complex, these corners offer the facilities needed to manage periods with dignity and feature posters and pamphlets in Odia and tribal dialects to dispel menstruation-related myths. According to NFHS-5, 6.8 per cent of girls in Odisha aged 15-19 were pregnant or had become mothers.
Studies consistently show that keeping girls in school is the most effective way to delay and prevent child marriage. The longer girls stay in school, the greater their chances of resisting underage marriages. Education, menstruation-friendly schools, and skill development initiatives can help girls stand up against patriarchal norms and disempowering cultural practices — and empower them to shape their own futures.