Rayagada: The increasing number of child marriages in Rayagada district has become a cause for concern for the authorities. While child marriages account for 26.8% of marriages taking place in India, the state records 21.3% on an average as against 34.4% in Rayagada district.
According to a fact-sheet on child marriages released by the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), Rayagada occupies fifth position on a national chart. However, many child marriages taking place in rural areas do not come to the fore.
According to reports, 63% of the families below poverty line in Rayagada district get their kids married at a tender age. Similarly, 33% of well-to-do families get their children married off early. In the same vein, 68% of illiterate families get children married off, as against 35% of literate families of Rayagada district.
Girls are denied their basic rights like right to education, health and social security due to their marriage at an age when they are not mentally or physically prepared.
In case of boys, the burden of family management falls on them at an early age. Living a long span of married life is also devastating the societal structure, said a report.
Socio-economic analysts opine that 67% of the womenfolk face critical health disorders during pregnancy and childbirth due to early marriage. Child marriage gives rise to issues like malnutrition, population explosion, poverty, illiteracy and unemployment.
Likewise, such marriages escalate social stigmas like divorce and family-disputes. Legal complications are said to be cropping up in Rayagada district day by day, because of child marriages.
Notably, a human-chain comprising 2.25 lakh commoners and 1.5 lakh schoolchildren was organised in the district this year to generate awareness against child marriages.
Reacting to this, intelligentsia of the district has said, “No one from Rayagada has been punished so far, for violating the Child Marriage Act, 2006. The apathetic attitude of district administration can be ascribed to this ever-increasing social stigma”.
PNN