61.4% of the girls are considered as family burden by parents - Study by Samakalvi Iyakkam & CRY
Posted on: 08/Mar/2019 7:00:54 PM
As India celebrate yet another women’s day in few pockets of Tamil Nadu the ground reality is contrastingly different. In a recent study conducted by Samakalvi Iyakkam (SKI) - a network of child rights organizations in the state, in association with one of leading NGOS from India- Child Rights and You (CRY) it has been found that 61.4% of the girls are considered as family burden by parents.
The study was conducted to infer the status of girl child marriage in the age group of 15-18 years in relation to access to quality education. This study was carried out in 10 districts, namely Dharmapuri, Salem, Vellore, Tiruvallur, Chennai, Thiruvannamalai, Tirunelveli, Ramanathapuram, Dindigul and Trichy. A sample of over 200 girls married before 18 years was taken into consideration to map the results.
Some of the other major findings show 82% of the respondents were forced to get married early due to poverty. The other influencers of child marriage as per the respondents were societal pressure (70.5%), neighbours (70%) and backing or tacit support of religious authorities (67.6%) for child marriage.
86.2% of villages of the respondents did not have higher secondary schools while 84.8% of villages did not have high schools which lead to drop outs and subsequent child marriage instances.
The study further revealed that when the girls are compelled to marry before age, 74.7% of experience abortions while 30.5% of them undergo highly complicated deliveries. The lack of awareness within this age group of the girls also came out clearly with around 80% of the respondents not knowing the legal age of marriage.
“The study gives us crucial insight into the reality of girl child marriage in the state. Strengthening the education system is an absolute necessity with all required facilities. Right to Education Act (RTE) should be made free and compulsory for children up to 18 years along with generating awareness on critical issues related to child marriage. Strengthening Village Child Protection Committees and improving the ecosystem of the child are few of the crucial changes that can ensure a world of difference,” said Suma Ravi, Regional Director (South), CRY.
17% of child marriages in India occur in Tamil Nadu according to National Family Health Survey (2015-2016). This “Exploratory Study on forced early girl child marriage in Tamil Nadu” was aimed at giving direction to create a protective and safe environment for girl children in Tamil Nadu.
