Pandemic, poverty spur child marriages in Madhya Pardesh

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown have proved to be new drivers of child marriages in rural Madhya Pradesh with a number of experiences of such ceremonies from completely different elements of the State throughout the ongoing marriage season.

“I am a widow and I don’t have any kind of social security. Marriage is the only safe option for my daughters,” mentioned Bijja Bai Jatav [name changed], sitting beside a heap of mattresses and quilts piled up on a wood mattress, in entrance of her home in Rujankhedi village in Nasrullaganj teshsil of Sehore district.

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Madhya Pradesh recorded 46 child marriages between November 2019 and March 2020, a determine that that jumped to 117 in simply three months of the lockdown from April to June 2020, knowledge offered by ChildLine India, an NGO, mentioned.

According to ChildLine India, throughout India 5,214 child marriages had been reported in the primary 4 months of lockdown between March to June.

Back in Rujankhedi, Ms. Jatav who was left with out sources of livelihood throughout the extended lockdown, is frightened concerning the security of her daughters and is satisfied marrying her minor daughter would make sure the child’s wellbeing.

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The agricultural fields will not be protected for teenage women and girls, Ms. Jatav says. “They [her daughters] cannot come with me to the fields where I work. We are poor and belong to a lower caste. Tell me what other option I have with to protect my daughters?” requested a despairing Ms. Jatav.

After discovering a groom for her eldest daughter, she started the seek for an appropriate groom for her youngest daughter. On discovering an appropriate match, she hurriedly determined to marry each daughters on the identical ceremony. The economics of a joint marriage ceremony made sense.

However, the district administration stepped in and stopped the December 9 ceremony.

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Marriage of the Jatav ladies was not the one child marriage stopped in the Budhni Assembly constituency represented by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. On December 8, the native administration stopped the wedding of a minor boy in Dabri village of the identical constituency.

“Due to our timely intervention, the marriage of a minor girl and boy was stopped,” Girish Chouhan, Project Officer, Integrated Child Development Project, Nasrullaganj, Sehore district informed The Puucho.

Despite the official vigilance, child marriages stay a problem in Madhya Pradesh. In the previous few days, the native administration managed to cease the wedding of two minor ladies in Morena and Ujjain and of a boy in Raisen district of the State.

On Friday, well timed intervention by a crew led by Krishna Nigam, Child Development Project Officer of Morena stopped the wedding of a 14-year outdated lady of Pardu Ka Pura village in Porsa tehsil.

In one other incident, on December 8, Yogendra Raj, Child Development Project Officer of Raisen district’s stepped in to cease the wedding of a minor scheduled for December 13.

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“The bride was under 18. Her marriage was scheduled to take place on December 13 at Rampur Tola a village that comes under the Sanchi block of the Raisen district,” she mentioned. The household is claimed to have now agreed to postpone the marriages until the ladies turned 18.

In Ujjain district, a crew led by distirct Child Development Project Officer Sabbir Ahmed S managed to cease the wedding of a minor lady scheduled for December 7 at Ghattia village.

Unicef has mentioned that in Madhya Pradesh the place child marriages are a continuing problem, financial pressures as a result of pandemic has pushed poor dad and mom to marry off ladies early.

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“COVID-19, and the consequent lockdown had many challenges, particularly for children, and more so for those from vulnerable families. With no schools, safety of children, particularly girls, was a major reason for increase in violence against children and child marriages. Child marriage is still a challenge in the State. Increased economic pressures due to the pandemic has pushed parents to marry off girls early,” Lolichen P.J., Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF, Madhya Pradesh mentioned.