Manish Kumar
Post News Network
New Delhi, June 27: At least 68 per cent of girls and 32 per cent of boys in Orissa get married before they attain the age of majority.
According to the Census data, released by the office of the Registrar General of India and the Census Commissioner which analysed data on age of marriage with reference to economic activities, more girls are married below their legal age of marriage compared to their counterparts.
According to the working class population data, 68 per cent of girls are victims of child marriages while 32 per cent of married males are minors.
It was also found in the data that children below the age of 10 years are not spared of marriages. The data in the workers’ category says 73,091 males and 17,427 females were married before they reached the age of 10. In most cases, however, a majority of child marriages is reported when the girls and boys are in the age group of 16-17 years.
The overall data showed girls bore the brunt of child marriages among various economic classes such as working class, farm labourers, construction workers, marginal workers and non-workers excluding cultivators.However, the burden of child marriages is often faced by girls from families of non-workers, household workers and marginal workers. It is being speculated that the data may inspire policy makers to reframe their plans accordingly in view of the large scale child marriages as reported by the Census department. A majority of child marriages occurring below the age of 10 years has also worried the rights activists.
This comes at a time when journalists and activists are being attacked during attempts to stop child marriages in many parts of Orissa.
