Girls between the ages of 15 and 19 years are twice at risk of maternal death compared to women who give birth later. India’s high rate of child marriage is one of the reasons that lead to high maternal mortality rates.
Teenager Sujata Behera, a Dalit girl from Dankeni village under Dutimendi Panchayat in Khajuripada block in Kandhamal district, may have understood this well and convinced her parents about negative consequences of child marriage.
Though it is hard to believe but Sujata dared to raise her voice against her early marriage and convinced her parents to break the negotiation just two weeks before her wedding day. She was then only 16 years old and was about to finish of her school education.
She was dreaming to pursue her education while her parents wanted to get her marriage done soon. Sujata who was then regularly attending Kishori Kalyan Samittee (KKS or adolescent group) came to know about how early marriage ruins an adolescent both physically and mentally and its negative consequences. She tried to convince her parents especially her mother to understand this on health ground. “It was not so easy to convince parents in these remote villages.
For them, daughters are meant to get married soon after they meet menstruation and parents start searching groom for them since then. They are not educated, also not aware of, how early marriage badly affects adolescent both mentally and physically. Due to financial crunch like other parents my parents too wanted to get my marriage done as early as possible.
When the proposal came from the nearby Jhadabalsckumpa village they immediately agreed. Initially I agreed with the proposal, but later when in KKS I came to know about negative consequences of early marriage I raised my voice. I tried to convince them (parents) adolescent are not matured enough to handle a family, kid and a relationship,” says the Dalit girl with confidence.
She narrated that in her regular visits to Kishori Kalyan Samitee (KKS or adolescent group) organized in their village once in a month, she learned how early marriage badly affects a girl and if she conceives before she turns 18 years, she may deliver a unhealthy child or the child may die before birth.
“When I learned this from the volunteers, who used to come to aware us on various aspects like sanitation, hygiene, and anemia and on adolescent health and maternal health issues, I discussed with them about my early marriage. The woman volunteer told me you try to convince your parents what you learned from this Kishori Kalyan Samitee.
It was really a fight with parents to put my word. After rounds of discussions, fights and counseling my parents convinced and now they have cancelled my marriage. They have also allowed me to study further and pursue my dream,” she says. like her, Sunita Digal of Rajikakhola village in Chakapada block in Kandhamal district stood against her marriage when she was only 15 years old. Her widow mother was interested to marry her off due to their financial problem. Sunita who was elder among three siblings initially agreed for marriage.
later after regularly attending KKS in her village she came to know the legal age of a girl for marriage is 18 years while for a boy it is 21 years. She also got to know it is an offence to get married before the age of 18 also it is important that girls should not get pregnant during this period because their body is not ready for child birth. After knowing about this she tried to convince her mother regarding adverse impact of early marriage. When initially her mother didn’t convince she showed her some pictures, slogans and other matters as to how early marriage puts adverse impact on a girl’s health.
Other friends of her adolescent group also joined with her to convince her mother and later her mother cancelled her marriage till she turned 18. Sunita who was then stopped from attending school later was allowed continuing studies. Child marriage is still prevalent in some districts of the State despite Government and non-Government organizations’ effort to make the public aware about its ill-effects. Kandhamal District Child protection officer (DCPO) Rashmita Karan says, “Illiteracy and ignorance towards law, migration and safety and security of girl child force their parents to go for early marriage of their daughters.”
Citing an example of a recent child marriage from Firingia block, Karan says, the child marriage was cancelled and the girl was saved only because of timely intervention and counseling by our field staff with the help of local NGOs, Anganwadi workers and Panchayat level child protection committee (PlCPC).
The situation is changing now; parents are sending their daughters for education; also parents now understand early marriage has negative consequences on their daughter’s health. Besides, educating and creating awareness among school and hostel students on health has a very positive impact on reducing child marriage in Kandhamal district. When the girl understands her rights, law to protect her from early marriage they protest against this, adds Karan.
According to a Survey conducted in 2010-11, around six per cent of rural women in Odisha get married before attaining the legal age of marriage that is 18. This statistics points towards the continuation of practice of child marriage in the state. The statistics of the study revealed that the marriage of girls below legal age is common in rural areas.
The survey made some startling revelations and said that around 6.5 per cent girls in rural areas and 3.2 per cent girls in urban areas had got married when they had not attained the age of 18 during 2007-2008.
The effort of Sujata and her friends of adolescent group of their area may put some light in bringing changes in the society. Every Sunday morning she and her friends of Kishori Kalyan Samitee go from one village to another in cycles to convince parents of at least 5 to 6 villages in that particular block about negative consequences of child marriage. “We all are studying in schools and colleges; so on Sundays around 25-30 adolescent come together to start our journey in a cycle to convince parents about negative consequences of early marriage and promote institutional delivery.
We also organize meetings, discuss with mothers and also try to convince them how early marriage of a girl child put adverse impact on her health and family life,” says Sujata, who now dreams to become a social worker in future. “Situation is changing; so also the mindset of parents of these remote villages but still a long way to go. If we can stop early marriage, it will help reduce MMR and IMR in the State,” concludes Sujata.
(The article is a part of Child Survival Media Award-2014 fellowship by NFI in collaboration with Save the Children)