1 in 5 married adults tied the knot as child
Study says 10% of currently married men were child grooms, 31% of married women child brides
LUCKNOW: A startling 21% of the currently married population of the state was married as children, reveals an analysis of the 2011 census data.
While about 10% of the currently married men in UP had to become child grooms, a staggering 31% of women underwent child marriages. These figures are higher than the national average of 7% and 30% for men and women respectively.
Allahabad tops the list of districts with the maximum numbers of (48,163) such child marriages, with 16,731 males and 31,432 females. It was followed by Ghaziabad, with 37,835 child marriages (14,416 men and 23,419 women). Next are Agra, Gorakhpur and Bareilly.
According to the 2011 census, more than 13.5 lakh child marriages took place in the state. Girls constituted 67% of this figure. Shockingly, the district of Ghaziabad, despite being in the National Capital Region (NCR), ranked second in the list of districts with the highest number of child marriages.
Commenting on the analysis report, Soha Moitra, regional director, CRY said, “The figures reflect a huge gap in the system. This is despite legislations and enhanced awareness on the issue. Child marriage is widely practiced under the garb of tradition and culture. Children are not allowed to enjoy their rights.” Among the various ill-effects of child marriage are several health risks. Child marriages culminate into premature pregnancies, often leading to high rates of maternal and infant deaths. There is also a risk of giving birth to low weight babies, which in a long term can lead to the child being affected with malnutrition.
“The government should ensure stricter implementation of the law, including strengthening registration of births and marriages to establish the age of the people getting married. The offenders need to be prosecuted,” added Moitra.
Incomplete or no education is one of the major hurdles in the abolition of child marriages in India, said experts. An outof-school child is more likely to be married off quickly.
Extending the scope of the Right to Education Act up to 18 years of age could help a large percentage of adolescent children, especially girls in the age group of 14-18 years, they added.