Nabarangpur: Nabarangpur district continues to record the highest incidence of child marriage in Odisha, despite sustained awareness campaigns and government interventions aimed at curbing the criminal practice.
According to official data, the district’s child marriage prevalence stands at 39.4 per cent, the highest in the state. Authorities prevented 440 child marriages in 2023, 373 in 2024 and 380 in 2025. Between January and April this year alone, officials stopped 178 child marriages. Data for 2025 show that Umerkote block accounted for the highest number of prevented child marriages at 86, followed by Kosagumuda (63), Jharigaon (55), Raighar (44), Dabugaon (34), Tentulikhunti (34), Papadahandi (29), Nabarangpur (18), Chandahandi (12) and Nandahandi (six).
While the Social Welfare department claims that 1,058 of the district’s 3,124 villages are now child marriage-free, social activists and local observers argue that many cases still go unreported, suggesting the actual scale of the problem could be significantly higher. Officials attribute the persistence of child marriage to poverty, lack of education and entrenched social customs.
Economic hardship often prompts families to marry off daughters at an early age, while limited access to higher education for girls further compounds the issue. Elopements and marriages involving underage couples have also emerged as contributing factors. Questions have also been raised about the effectiveness of some awareness programmes.
Critics allege that certain implementing agencies focus more on documentation and publicity than on grassroots engagement with vulnerable communities. District Programme Officer Rama Pattnaik said awareness drives are being conducted regularly through panchayats, schools, colleges and community organisations under the government’s Child Marriage-Free India Campaign. She added that officials, including head masters and college principals designated as child marriage information officers, have been empowered to report and help prevent such cases. Experts say stronger monitoring, stricter enforcement of child marriage laws and greater emphasis on girls’ education are essential to achieving lasting change.
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