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| Published in The Hitavada CityLine on March 27, 2013 |
Child/under-age marriages still exist in Maharashtra
By Kartik Lokhande
Child marriages are gone, at least in Maharashtra. Or, so do
we tend to think. But, the latest data compilation by a non-Governmental
organization shows that child marriages still exist in a progressive state of
Maharashtra, and not a single district including State capital of Mumbai proves
to be an exception. Vidarbha region fares well only by comparison on the count
of child or under-age marriages, as none of its districts features in ‘top
five’.
National Plan of Action for Children, 2005, had set the target
of eradicating child marriage by the year 2010. However, the ‘Children in
India-2012’ report published by Central Government a couple of months back
shows that 113 offences were registered across the country under Child Marriage
Prevention Act. Of these, 19 were reported in Maharashtra. With this figure,
Maharashtra ranked second across the country after West Bengal (with 25 child
marriages). Of course, the figure of child marriages in which offences were
registered under Child Marriage Prevention Act appears to be very low. However,
a number of child marriages go unreported even in states like Maharashtra.
Another research by Population Foundation of India showed
that Solapur and Pune districts saw most of the child marriages solemnized in
Maharashtra. The third National Family Health Survey of women in 20-24 years
age band, revealed that marriage of 45 per cent of them was solemnized below 18
years of age. Now, the latest data analysis by an NGO Socio-Political Analysis
and Research Kendra (SPARK) brings out that child marriages are solemnized in
Maharashtra even today. As per the analysis of SPARK, 17.6 per cent of girls
are married under 18 years of age and 12.4 per cent of boys under 21 years of
age. Maximum child or under-age marriages are reported in rural areas. Still,
11.4 per cent of girls are ‘married off’ under 18 years of age and the
percentage of under-age marriage of boys is 7.2 in urban areas in the State.
Hingoli (39.1 per cent), Aurangabad (37.8%), Beed (34.2%),
Jalna (31.6%), and Latur (31.3%) have earned the dubious distinction of being
top five districts in child or under-age marriages of girls. Whereas, top five
districts in under-age marriages of boys are Nandurbar (36.4%), Jalna (30.6%),
Hingoli (26.2%), Beed (25.3%), and Parbhani (24.1%).
As far as Vidarbha region is concerned, percentage of child
or under-age marriages is very less. In fact, Wardha shares with Sindhudurg the
honorable slot of districts with not a single under-age marriage of a girl.
Barring the districts of Gadchiroli, Washim, Buldhana, Amravati and Yavatmal,
no other district in Vidarbha region has child or under-age marriage in
double-digit percentage. Nagpur district has 1.2 per cent of girls married
under 18 years of age and the percentage is 3 in case of boys. Though no one
can justify even this little percentage of child or under-age marriages, the
data compiled by SPARK shows that Vidarbha region is progressing towards
elimination of the social evil.
Child/under-age
marriages in Vidarbha (in %)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
District Groom
below 21 years Bride below 18 years
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nagpur 3.0
1.2
Wardha 3.6
0.0
Chandrapur 3.9
2.1
Bhandara 1.9
1.7
Gondia 1.9
2.6
Gadchiroli 12.8
9.5
Amravati 8.0
10.1
Buldhana 13.3
17.4
Akola 3.6 7.4
Washim 14.3
23.8
Yavatmal 6.5 10.5
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State Average 12.4 17.6
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