JIND: In a remarkable development, child marriages in Khapland district have seen a substantial decline over the past decade, according to data procured from the department. Jind district, which is commonly known as heartland of the state, has been considered one of the most backward districts of Haryana following lack of industrial development, education, employment, health and in other sectors.
There were reported 50 child marriages in 2015-16 subsequently 57 in 2016-17 and 48 in 2017-18 thereafter 42 in 2018-19 and 19 in 2019-20 led to a significant decline. Subsequently, 50 marriages were reported in 2020-21 during the Corona outbreak and 16 in 2021-22 thereafter 18 in 2022-23 followed by 12 in 2023-24 and 11 in 2024-25.
The report highlights a significant drop in the number of underage marriages, showcasing the success of sustained awareness campaigns carried out by NGOs and stricter enforcement of laws. Compared to a decade ago, the region now reports a marked improvement in adherence to legal marriageable age norms, signalling a shift in societal attitudes.
Surender Mann, state coordinator of an NGO named mission to the desperate and destitute of India, whose team also working on grounds attributes this decline to several factors, including increased educational opportunities for girls, enhanced community engagement, and government initiatives.
Collective efforts of teams have played a crucial role in discouraging early marriages through targeted interventions. We need continued efforts to eradicate the practice completely and to address other associated issues such as child labour and school dropouts, he said.
Narender Sharma, working as district coordinator, stated that numbers reflect a significant change in mindset. "Parents are now prioritizing education over marriage for their daughters, which is a welcome transformation. Our teams are approaching parents directly and asking them to fill out an oath certificate for not solemnising the early marriages of their daughters. Initially, we have identified such 50 villages where efforts are on with the help of village sarpanch, khap leader and parents to prevent child marriages. Moreover, Girls had a chance to pursue their studies after Chaudhary Ranbir Singh University was set up in 2014 in Jind district which led to a change in the mindset of parents. There are around 5,000 students in CRSU and girls contribute to 80 percent of the total students which shows that they are now moving toward higher education rather than solemnising marriage at an early age,” he said.
Sources said that girls too have become aware and, in many cases, they are secretly informing officials directly through helpline numbers to stop their marriages following further study and career. Such cases are being reported from families which hail from humble backgrounds but they too are becoming aware now gradually, said a member associated with these teams. Read More
This article is referenced from
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
Views: 5.8k
