Why are young girls entering into marriage prematurely, even with the advantage of education? Have the monetary incentives designed to encourage girls' education not yielded the expected results? How is child marriage linked to maternal health challenges? These are critical questions raised by a recent study on child marriage in India, published in the Lancet, which underscores an overall decline in child marriages nationwide. However, it highlights the persistent issue in four states, namely Bihar (16.7%), West Bengal (15.2%), Uttar Pradesh (12.5%), and Maharashtra (8.2%), which collectively account for over half of all instances of child marriages in girls.
The study, titled 'Prevalence of girl and boy child marriage across States and Union Territories in India, 1993–2021: a repeated cross-sectional study,' emphasizes that one in five girls in India is still married below the legal age. Notably, West Bengal faced a substantial increase, witnessing over 500,000 more girls marrying as children, indicating a rise of 32.3% in headcount.
Child marriage, particularly affecting girls, poses significant challenges for policymakers in West Bengal. Despite government initiatives like the Kanyashree Prakalpa, a conditional cash transfer scheme to incentivize girls' schooling and deter child marriage, the practice persists. The National Family Health Survey-5 reveals that 41.6% of women aged 20-24 years in West Bengal were married before 18, one of the highest rates in the country.
The adverse impact of child marriage extends to maternal and child health, as evidenced by a recent tragedy where 10 infants died in 24 hours at Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital. Low birth weight, often linked to child marriage and poverty, contributed to the dire situation.
Despite initiatives like Kanyashree Prakalpa, researchers question the effectiveness of such programs. While female enrollment in schools has risen, the Lancet study and NFHS data raise doubts about the scheme's ability to curb child marriage. The puzzling discrepancy between educational strides and the persistence of child marriage highlights the complexity of the issue. There seems to be no direct correlation between literacy rates and child marriage in certain districts, underscoring the need for a nuanced understanding of the factors at play.
Experts also point out the impact of migration on child marriage, as families fear leaving unmarried daughters at home and married women may be expected to bear children when their husbands migrate for work. Besides, the existence of cash incentive schemes for both education (Kanyashree Prakalpa) and marriage (Rupashree Prakalpa) sometimes encourages immediate marriage after benefiting from the school scheme.
Issues of law enforcement and implementation also arise, as West Bengal registers fewer cases under The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA) compared to states with smaller populations and fewer instances of child marriage. The government's introduction of the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, aimed at raising the age of marriage for women to 21, reflects ongoing efforts to address the issue.
In 2022, the West Bengal government initiated a district action plan and issued guidelines to curb child marriage. However, experts emphasize the need for a comprehensive social campaign involving various stakeholders, including panchayats, schools, and local communities, along with a political will to enforce existing laws for effective change at the grassroots level.
