(Child Marriage, n.d.)
All children have the right to finish education, pursue their passions, and find their own path in life without any obstacles. Unfortunately, this is overlooked in many places around the world, where children are continually being married off at a young age with no regard for their dreams. To help stop these from happening, organizations and institutions over the years have been trying to educate people and raise awareness about these marriages through television ads, posters, campaigns, fundraisers, and workshops. Recently, it was announced that another such campaign would be started: the Child Marriage Free India Campaign.
The Child Marriage Free India campaign aims to put an end to the illegal practice in thousands of villages in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra (Free Press Staff Reporter, 2022; Jaiswall, 2022). Although illegal, child marriage is still prevalent throughout India, especially in low-income communities. The campaign will be run jointly by the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation (KSCF) and the State Department of Women & Child Development (Free Press Staff Reporter, 2022).
Child marriage is a term used to describe when a girl and/or a boy are married off when they are still under the age of majority. Observed in countries around the world, it is also culturally prevalent in India. According to the National Family Health Survey, 40% of 60 million child marriages across the globe occur in the country; further, these children have almost no one to turn to as the marriages themselves are supported by their parents and adults of the communities (Mishra, 2021). These marriages also disproportionately affect girls, as they move away from their parents – and are often pressured into motherhood – at a formative age.
(Child Marriage Free India State Consultation Conference, 2022)
The KSCF was founded by Kailash Satyarthi, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. Their vision is to have every child be “free, safe, healthy, and educated” (KSCF, n.d.). The Child Marriage Free India campaign is the latest of their efforts, with previous campaigns such as the Justice for Every Child and Tackling Child Trafficking campaigns (KSCF, n.d.). They hope to provide opportunities for children so that they create a bright future for themselves, and thus, the world.
This campaign was recently announced at a state consultation conference. Starting October 16th, workers will go door to door to raise awareness about the negative effects it poses to not just the children, but also the community (Free Press Staff Reporter, 2022). There is a vision to soon expand this campaign to all of India. As more news and work of this campaign comes out, we hope to see a positive change in these communities.
It is a right, not a privilege, for children to explore and play in the world around them; it is also the world’s responsibility to nurture their passions, curiosities, and joys. Being subjected to marriage as minor is an irreversible mistake, as it puts immense pressure on kids – it obligates them to think not of their own bright futures, but to think of a household, spousal relationship, and oftentimes, offspring of their own. These are the prospects that the campaign hopes to change for millions of affected children in India.
Works Cited
Afternoon News. (2022). Child Marriage Free India State Consultation Conference. Afternoon. Afternoon News. Retrieved from
https://www.afternoonnews.in/article/kailash-satyarthi-children-s-foundation-s-consultati on-demands-child-marriage-prohibition-officer-po.
Free Press Staff Reporter. (2022, September 27). Kailash Satyarthi Children's foundation's 'child marriage free india' campaign from Oct 16 . Free Press Journal. Retrieved October 2, 2022, from
https://www.freepressjournal.in/bhopal/kailash-satyarthi-childrens-foundations-child-mar riage-free-india-campaign-from-oct-16
Jaiswal, P. B. (2022, September 30). Child marriage free india campaign's Maharashtra leg kicks off in Mumbai. The Week. Retrieved October 2, 2022, from
https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2022/09/30/child-marriage-free-india-campaign-kicks -off-in-mumbai.html
KSCF. (n.d.). Kailash Satyarthi Children's foundation. Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation. Retrieved October 2, 2022, from https://satyarthi.org.in/about-us/#Our-founder
Mishra, S. (2021, September 27). Child marriage in India (amendment) Bill, 2021. Times of India Blog. Retrieved October 2, 2022, from
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/myblogpower/child-marriage-in-india-a mendment-bill-2021-37786/
Wikimedia. (n.d.). Child Marriage. The Logical Indian. Retrieved from
https://thelogicalindian.com/gender/india-four-other-countries-account-for-50-per-cent-w orlds-child-marriages-unicef-report-27335.
Comments