More underage boys face child marriage than girls, say activists in UP

The rate of marriage of underage girls in UP has gone down from 21.1% in 2015-16 to 15.8% in 2020-21, as per the NFHS data

LUCKNOW There may be more child grooms in Uttar Pradesh than brides while the overall prevalence of child marriage is on the decline in the state, say child rights activists.

The data also indicates that the incidence of underage boys getting married has come down from 28.7% to 23%. (Pic for representation)

“Surprisingly, according to the National Family Health Survey data for UP, it has been found that more underage boys are facing child marriage than girls – whereas most of our strategies are focussed on the girl child,” said Ghasiram Panda, project manager for Actionaid, an NGO.

The rate of marriage of underage girls in UP has gone down from 21.1% in 2015-16 to 15.8% in 2020-21, as per the NFHS data. The data also indicates that the incidence of underage boys getting married has come down from 28.7% to 23%.

“The numbers show rising awareness in UP,” said a representative from UNICEF, UP. “There has been a considerable drop in the prevalence of child marriage,” he added.

In the context of UP, the prevalence of child marriage has come down, even below the national average. The national average stands at around 21%, but in UP it is 15.8% on an average.

The state capital didn’t see any recorded instances of child marriage in the past three months. Compared to 15 cases last year, 2022 saw 12 cases till July, and none after that, with the highest number of cases (five) reported in May, according to data from NGO, ‘Childline’.

“Overall, there has been a decline in child marriages. But our data shows that there had been a spike in cases in 2019 and 2020 due to the pandemic,” says Sangeeta Sharma of Childline. While the organisation recorded 8 and 11 cases in 2017 and 2018, respectively, the number jumped to 45 in 2019 followed by 27 the next year.

“While there has been an improvement, we cannot say that the malaise has been done away with entirely. Four blocks of Mal, Malihabad, Kakori and Bakshi ka Talab (BKT) are the worst affected in terms of child marriage. We get the maximum abuse cases from Malihabad itself,” she added.

Most of the children falling prey to child marriage are recent dropouts. However, there are school-going children who get married off before the legal age of 18 (for girls) or 21 (for boys).

While Shuchita Chaturvedi, member of Uttar Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (UPSCPCR) agrees that cases have gone down, she reports that the SCPCR received at least two cases of child marriage in the last three months. “The numbers have gone down, because awareness has increased - moreover, young girls themselves put in complaints when families plan to marry them off,” she added.

“In certain cases, we have had to apprehend the wedding and bring the young girl away with us. It is only in the last one year or less, that we have seen a change in mindset. In rural areas, people are more inclined to report impending marriages beforehand,” said Sharma. “On many occasions, we have had cases where the girl’s boyfriend would call us up to report that the girl is being married to some other man against her will,” she added.

What brought about the change?

According to activists, this decline in child marriages is a result of outreach programs creating awareness, as well as families facing the threat of being reported to the police if they encourage the malaise.