04/10/2023
*Talking of chalk and cheese
Indian Express, Wednesday, 4th October 2023 had two articles on addressing child marriages one in Beed district in Maharashtra (https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/in-this-district-army-of-schoolkids-leads-fight-against-child-marriage-8967258/) and in Assam ( https://indianexpress.com/article/india/assam-child-marriage-crackdown-arrest-8966223/). While targeting to end child marriages, the two are as diverse as chalk and cheese. Child marriages are reported to be rampant in Beed district, parents marrying girls as young as 10 years to ensure their protection during the cane cutting migration season. The lure of Rs.1.0 lakh incentive to married couples by contractors, not available to single migrant labour, makes early marriage even more attractive. The initiative by the district administration to build awareness among school children who are among the most potent victims of the practice is effective, innovative and transformational. Every Monday 5.44 lakh children across 3657 schools across Beed take a collective oath in Marathi; “we shall not engage in child marriage, either directly or indirectly. We shall neither endorse nor support it…”. Children are internalising the message tipping off authorities on information of any proposed child marriage. 149 complaints were recorded between April and August 2003 as against 41 cases reported in 2020-21, 83 in 2021-22 and 132 in 2022-23 reflecting the transformative impact.
Compare this to the round 2 of crackdown on child marriage in Assam reported on the same day. The report said 916 people have been arrested across the state, with police registering 706 FIRs and 1041 people named as accused. The Indian Express Analysis showed 62.24% of those arrested were Muslims and the remaining from Hindu or other community.
In the first crackdown in the state in February 2023, 3000 people were named in 4000 FIRs across the state. (https://www.google.com/search?q=first+crackdown+on+child+marraige+in+Assam&oq=first+crackdown+on+child+marraige+in+Assam&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIJCAEQIRgKGKABMgkIAhAhGAoYoAEyCQgDECEYChigATIMCAQQIRgKGBYYHRgeMgcIBRAhGI8CMgcIBhAhGI8CMgcIBxAhGI8C0gEJMTIxODdqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8). Express also reported that while the majority in the first crackdown were booked under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act along with the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 62% of those arrested have been granted bail by the end of February.
In Beed, an informed an aware collective of 5.44 lakh children are harbingers of transformative change in their communities working with the district administration in tackling a complex cultural, economic and gender imperative. In Assam, the crackdowns will entangle the already marginalised citizens in a long maze of administrative, police and judiciary procedures furthering their poverty and vulnerability. The two strategies addressing the same problem reminds us of the comparison between chalk and cheese.
