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Lifting Lives: Child Marriage in India

"Let us sacrifice our today so that our children can have a better tomorrow." -- The late A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

  India is home to the largest number of children in the world, and 20 percent of the population is between 0-4 years of age. But with nearly half a billion children in this country, a lot more remains to be done to ensure the survival, growth and development of India’s greatest asset: its children. The right to “free and full” consent to a marriage is recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The World Fit for Children 2002 calls for an end to harmful traditional or customary practices of early and forced marriage, which violate the rights of children and women. The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) mentions the right to protection from child marriage, and calls legislation to specify a minimum legal age of marriage. In India the minimum legal marriage age for girls is 18 years and for boys it is 21 years. Early marriage is a violation of rights of all girls and boys, as it denies basic rights to health, nutrition, education, freedom from violence, abuse and exploitation and deprives the child of his/her childhood. For girls, it poses additional serious risk associated with early sexual life and child bearing. There is a significant difference in the chance of survival of a child born to a mother who gave birth before reaching the age of 20 years as compared to the child who is born to a mother who gives birth between 20 and 29 years of age. The rural-urban differential in early marriage is very significant. While 48 percent of women aged 20-24 years in rural areas married before attaining the legal age, the percentage married between 15 and 18 years of age has increased to 29 percent. This does not indicate any significant change in the social norms and customs. Whether it is free education, or earning their own wage, these young girls need options to convince their families not to marry them off. The Play for Peace Annual Report for 2014-2015 mentions a 13-year-old girl who found solace in a Play for Peace shelter after running away from being forced to marry. Play for Peace games and experiential education create a friendly and neutral environment which creates a safer atmosphere for children coping from trauma and violence. Play for Peace trainers and coordinators come across such incidents very often, which has given birth to innovative projects such as the Zero Violence Project. A society where young children are being subjected to such extreme social dogmas is a failure of the established systems. A collaborative effort from the government and NGOs to bring about a change in attitude can give these children a childhood filled with memories and education. Until the laws banning child marriage are properly enforced, young girls will remain vulnerable. Lifting Lives is a new blog series by Play for Peace, in which we explore issues that affect children and youth in the countries where our Play for Peace Clubs operate. Play for Peace mentors and trainers often work with children who are affected by a variety of pressing issues in their communities and in their countries. Our work to create freedom from fear for every child is inspired by them. Bibliography Situation of Children in India – A Profile – UNICEF INDIA Play for Peace Annual Report 2014-2015 Khel Se Mel website