Answer

Introduction

While NFHS-5 data reflects a decline in national child marriage rates from 27% (2015-16) to 23.3% (2019-21), progress remains unevenly distributed. Persistent disparities across states like West Bengal and Bihar underscore that aggregate improvements often mask localized structural vulnerabilities and socio-economic gaps.

Body

Structural Factors Responsible for Disparity

• Economic Deprivation: Families in the lowest wealth quintiles often use marriage as a “coping mechanism” to reduce household size and economic burden.
  Eg: NFHS-5 data shows 40% of girls from the poorest households marry early compared to 8% in the richest quintile.
• Educational Exclusion: Lack of access to secondary schooling creates a “vacuum” where marriage becomes the only perceived social milestone for adolescent girls.
  Eg: 48% of girls with no education in India were married at <18 age.
• Security Concerns: Parents in vulnerable regions often perceive marriage as a “protective shield” against sexual violence or social insecurity for minor girls.
• Climate Distress: Environmental shocks and resulting economic instability force distressed migration, often leading to “panic marriages” to ensure daughter’s “safety.”
• Patriarchal Norms: Deep-seated beliefs regarding “family honor” and the perception of daughters as paraya dhan (someone else’s property) drive early unions.
  Eg: The UNICEF report “Profile of Progress” notes that social norms remain a primary driver in high-prevalence states like Bihar and Tripura.
• Legal Gaps: The persistence of personal laws and the low conviction rate under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 create a “culture of impunity” in certain regions.

Institutional Interventions for Social Change

• Conditional Transfers: Implementing cash incentive schemes that are strictly tied to school attendance and delaying marriage until the age of 18.
  Eg: West Bengal’s Kanyashree Prakalpa (recognized by the UN) provides scholarships to girls to remain in the education system.
• Grassroots Surveillance: Utilizing the frontline workforce to monitor “at-risk” girls and report potential marriages to the District Magistrate.
  Eg: Odisha’s Advika initiative uses Anganwadi workers to track adolescent girls and provide life-skills training.
• Community Sensitization: Engaging religious leaders and local influencers to change the narrative around the “value” of a girl child beyond marriage.
  Eg: Importance of “Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat” campaigns in leveraging Panchayats to declare child-marriage-free villages.
• Strengthening Infrastructure: Ensuring safe transport and functional toilets in schools to reduce the dropout rates of girls entering puberty.
  Eg: The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign emphasizes the role of school infrastructure in keeping girls enrolled.
• Legal Convergence: Integrating the PCMA with the POCSO Act to ensure stringent penalties and remove legal loopholes used by perpetrators.
  Eg: The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 aims to raise the legal age to 21 to ensure parity and gender justice.
• Empowerment Hubs: Creating safe spaces where girls can access vocational training and reproductive health information to build economic agency.
  Eg: UNICEF’s “District Models” in states like Maharashtra focus on adolescent empowerment to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty.

Conclusion

Addressing child marriage requires a transition from “punitive policing” to “holistic empowerment.” By aligning economic incentives with robust education and community-led behavioral change, India can bridge the state-wise divide. Achieving the 2030 SDG target necessitates that every girl is viewed not as a liability, but as a potential driver of national progress.

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