The morning sun rises in coastal Gopalpur in the eastern Indian state of Odisha. This new sun seems to open a new opportunity for children.
It is an opportunity – a chance to go to school for education, which will guide them to fulfill their dreams and aspirations.
But if we talk about girls, often with the first menstruation this series of opportunities for them suddenly stops.
Odisha has a local tradition to celebrate a girl’s first menstruation – bhoja. The festival celebrates a girl’s initiation into womanhood, invites relatives and involves music and dance for seven consecutive days.
It is considered as a sign that now the girl is ready for marriage.
Shilo Pradhan, a young member of Advika Initiative recounts her experience, “There were some people in the party who wanted me to be their daughter-in-law. But then I didn’t know much about marriage. My future in-laws also brought me a lehenga (Indian traditional dress). I was only 14 years old then.
The state of Odisha, with a population of over 83 lakh children between the ages of 10 and 19, accounts for nearly 20 percent of the child marriages recorded in the country.
However, this is lower than the national average of 23.3 percent (NFHS 5 data). The state also saw a decline in the sex ratio at birth, at 894 girls for every 1,000 boys.
What is most shocking is that 7.6 percent of teenage girls become pregnant or become mothers by the age of 19.
In these villages of Gopalpur, girls face numerous obstacles.
Asha Sahu, another young member of Advika, said, “Everyone advised my mother to marry me.”
He said, “If you marry your elder daughter now, how can you send her to an engineering college with the income from your small shop?” My mother asked me to marry, I want to work, but my mother did not agree.
Child marriage remains a major problem in this region of the state. Anganwadi worker Sujata Shubadarshini said, “At that time the issue of child marriage was not taken seriously and was prevalent in the entire village.
“I used to tell everyone about the dangers of child marriage and early pregnancy, stillbirth and maternal mortality.”
Advika – “I Am Unique”
In 2019, the Government of Odisha, in collaboration with UNICEF, launched a five-year (2019-24) Strategic Action Plan (SAP) to end child marriage in the state by 2030.
Various sectors, civil society, community, family, adolescent and youth were included in this project. Under this, the foundation of Advika program was laid in October 2020.
Abida Parveen, district coordinator of Odisha government’s social welfare department, said, “Earlier child marriage was very common as girls were considered a burden in the villages here. He believed that it is better to get girls married as early as possible.
Advika Yojana aims to prevent child marriage through various strategies including strengthening state structures and systems, organizing meetings and discussions among various departments, raising awareness on child protection issues, empowering adolescent girls and community participation.
To achieve these goals, Advika Scheme has created a multi-sectoral task force, strengthened the capacity of district and sub-district systems, developed and implemented a comprehensive training package and monitoring framework.
The program encourages the empowerment of adolescents through education, skill development and leadership training, increasing their participation in community participation and establishing various platforms for civil dialogue.
A community responsibility
Although, under the Advika Yojana, all members and departments have come together to end the scourge of child marriage, but to convince the community that child marriage was a major challenge against child rights.
Shasmita Kumari, sarpanch of a village, said, “When the anganwadi workers used to go home, people misbehaved with them. They harassed and ill-treated them.”
After that he took it upon himself to go door to door with the Anganwadi workers. Now people know who to ask for help when child marriage comes up.
Shasmita Kumari organizes rallies in her community to send a strong message about the risks and consequences of child marriage.
He said, “We try to solve as many problems as possible in our society through rallies. We urge people not to marry minor children. “If they ignore it, it will be considered illegal and a crime.”
Teachers and schools have also played an important and influential role in reducing the incidence of child marriage.
Local government school principal Rajesh Mohanty has made it his priority. She said, “When I joined the programme, we held a joint meeting with teenage girls and their parents. We oppose the proposal of child marriage; We highlight its impact on children. “At PTA meetings, we especially make parents aware of the pros and cons.”
right to life
The effect of Advika is clearly visible. Gopalpur is now child marriage free. Although sporadic marriages are still reported, this system has helped a lot in curbing child marriage.
Abida Parveen, district coordinator of Odisha government’s social welfare department, said, “Avika Yojana has contributed the most in this. Advika program is held in all Anganwadi centers every Saturday.”
“All the girls, whether in school or out of school, gather there and discuss issues like child marriage and the adverse effects of child marriage on a girl’s body and mind, that’s why such a big difference has been seen. has been largely successful in curbing child marriage.”