Abstract

Children are the greatest gift to the humanity. The children are to be nurtured, loved and protected. They have an inborn human right to justice, freedom and opportunities for all round development irrespective of their nationality, caste, creed and sex. Child marriage is one of the major challenges in our state. It has been practised in Indian since long. It is a phenomenon in which girls or boys are married before attaining their minimum legal age at marriage enforced by the law. “marrying a minor girl is not only against the law, but it also breaches the fundamental rights of a girl child and is quite dangerous to her health.” There are so many causes and consequences of child marriage in our state. This paper attempts to find out the major causes and consequences of child marriage which is prevailing in Assam.

Key Words: Child marriage, causes, consequences, human right, education.

Introduction:

            Children are the supreme asset of a nation. They are the greatest gift to humanity. The children are to be nurtured, Loved and Protected. They have an inborn right to justice, freedom and opportunity for development irrespective of their nationality, caste, creed and sex. Investment in terms of providing protection and opportunities for the growth of the children is essential to ensure their development to full potential.

Children are the potential and useful human resource for the progress of the country. It should be remembered that we have both obligation and duty towards their wellbeing.

            Child marriage is one of the major challenges in our country. It has been practiced in India since long as a result of deep rooted social and cultural norms. It is a phenomenon in which girls or boys are married before they attain the minimum legal age at marriage enforced by the law. Child marriage refers to any formal marriage or informal union between a child under the age of 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys. A girl marrying before attaining proper adulthood age, poses significant adverse effect on not only on her health but also surrounded by very low level of her agency and empowerment. Early marriages are also associated with early childbearing which has higher risks of delivery complications and maternal and child mortality and mortality (UNFPA. 2013), Thus, the consequences of child marriage is far reaching and affects the health, social and economic status of girl as well as her children.

            Despite a steady decline in this harmful practice over the past decade, child marriage remains widespread, with approximately one in five girls marriage in childhood across the globe. Today multiple crisis including conflict, climate shocks and the on going fall out from COVID- 19 are threatening to reverse progress towards eliminating this human rights violation. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals call for global action to end child marriage by 2030.

            Child marriage is still remain a common phenomena in our country, despite endeavours on the part of  the Governments and civil societies. It is a violation of child rights and it is to be taken in mind to develop their physically, mentally, emotionally and all-round development.  Child marriage deprives them from their basic human rights. It also compels them to take on the responsibilities meant to be taken by adults, may be even leading a child to bear a child and take care of them and the family.

Objectives:

The present study has done with the following main objectives –

1.To find out the extent of child marriage in Assam.

2.To find out the causes of child marriage in Assam.

3.To examine the consequences of child marriage in Assam.

4.To understand the extent of the prevalence of child marriage in Assam.

 Methodology:

    This study is descriptive in nature and the paper is entirely based on secondary sources of data which includes books, journals, articles, newspapers and internet websites.

Child marriage in Assam:

    Census 2011 shows that among all the districts of Assam percentage of child marriage in Dhubri District is the highest, i.e. 34.7 . It may be due to the fact that most of the children and specially girl child leave the school because of attaining puberty and got married. The data also shows that Dhubri district has the highest percentage of child marriage followed by Goalpara, Darrang and morigaon. The percentage of child marriage is lowest in kamrup metro district at 7.7 . Census 2011 notes that 69.5 lakh boys and 51.6 lakh girls have been married before the legal age of 18 for girls and 21 for boys at national level.

Causes of child marriage in Assam:

    It is difficult to ascertain and determine the origin of the custom of child marriage. But it can be certainly attribute to a patriarchal structure of society. The institution of patriarchy is prevalent in universal. The following barriers in postponing child marriage of girls.

1. Institution of patriarchy:

            Patriarchy has a strong hold on Indian society. It operates at all levels on the basis of sex, age, caste and contributes in lowering the status of women in every possible manner. Stratification and differentiation on the basis gender are an integral feature of patriarchy in our country. Gender differences are reflected in the sexual division of labour between the productive and reproductive activities. Women bear the responsibility of reproductive activities and conduct productive tasks, which men are primarily engaged in productive activities. It is a custom in our society which prevailing in Assam.

             Patriarchy places men in a position to define highly valued while women are in downplayed in importance. Men having greater access to vital productive resources and a higher social status, while women are ignored as to reinforce subordination  of women in the name of care, protection and welfare and take them dependent on men throught  their lives. Gender inequality reflects that women are to be mothers and men are to be providers for the family. So, at every stage in their life, they are under the domination of some male member of the family, father, husband or son. The purpose of the marriage is transference of the father‘s domination over a girl in favour of her husband. Discrimination against girls in decision making in the family, education, employment, matters of sexuality etc, i­s what creates and perpetuates the conditions in which child marriages of women occur.

2. Economic Reasons:

            The social and economic background of people determines the quantity of resources available for a marriage ceremony, influences marital values and attitudes, affects the cultural milieu in which the need for early or late marriage is fell and provides the social networks in which spouses are sought. In Assam parents of a girl are required to give gifts, either in cash or in kind to the bridegroom and or his family in the form of dowry. The amount of dowry may go increasing as marriage gets delayed. To avoid more expenditure by marrying her at a later age, parents prefer to marry her off at an early age. Thereby, by the system of dowry perpetuates child marriage. If there are more girls in the family, they are all married off at one time to save expenses on marriage celebrations. Such a situation may involve the child marriage of younger daughters in the family irrespective of their ages.

       In Assam child marriage also reduces the economic burdens involved in supporting females as after marriage, a girl joins the family of her husband. It is based on the presumption that women do not contribute monetarily to the income of the family and are therefore burdens to be wiped off as early as possible.

        Further as women are out-marriers they marry out and go away- parents can expect little help from their daughters after marriage. Culturally, on marriage, the daughters cease to be members of their natal family and there is no responsibility on them to support their parents or siblings. Married daughters are not expected to contribute financially or in any other manner to their natal family. On the other hand, sons remain at home and do contribute financially. Thus, it becomes a straight economic, utilitarian calculation of gains and losses in marrying daughters off young.

3. Lack of Awareness about Adverse health Consequences:

            All these socio-cultural reasons contribute to child marriage of women on a large scale in Assam. Child marriages usually have profound adverse effects on the fertility, health and development of adolescent girls It is now proved that low age at marriage is one of the important factors responsible for the high rates of maternal and child mortality and morbidity. However adverse health consequences of early pregnancies or child birth to a young girl are not well known at the family level. On the contrary, young brides are pressurized to prove their fertility as soon as possible after the marriage and to produce children, specially son, she has to abide by the dictates of family members. As a result, if and when she suffers from any gynecological illness or even if she dies due to a too early pregnancy and childbirth, her death is never attributed to her young age. It is accepted as a fact of life or God‘s wish or fate.

4. Lack of Awareness of law:

In India a statute entitled the Child Marriage Restraint Act(CMRA) was enacted in 1929, to curtail the customary practice of child marriage. After the amendments introduced in 1978, CMRA prescribes eighteen and twenty-one years as the age of marriage for a girl and a boy respectively. Inspite of the fact that this Act has been on the statute book for more than seventy-five years, child marriages are still common and prevalent on a large scale in certain regions of the country.

     One of the reasons for child marriage is that people to a large extent are not aware of the provisions of the law. The CMRA is not widely known among men and women in Assam, particularly among women who belong to the disadvantaged sections of the societies, the illiterate, those from rural areas and those who belong to a schedule caste or schedule tribe. There are no means of communication available to the people to find out about the law. Illiteracy and legal illiteracy are the common features among rural people and more so among women. If people have no knowledge about the law, one can hardly except them to abide by it.

       Unless people are taken into confidence and explained the need to prevent child marriage, they are unlikely to obey the law.

5. Malleability:

Traditionally and culturally marriage in Assam is arrange by the parents and is looked upon as an alliance between two families more than of two individuals. Parents play a responsible and major role in arranging the marriages of their children; and this practice has been acquired a social legitimacy. It is assumed that parents make decisions in best interest of their daughters. It is easier to make her, as a young girl, abide by the dictates of the father or senior members of the natal family and get ready for the marriage. In our society it is denied by restricting her movement and refusing her opportunities to interact with the outside world. Her experience has no value and is never reflected in cultural norms. So, child marriage ensures her easy submission and acceptance of traditional gender role. 

6. Control over sexuality:

Another significant implication of patriarchy lies in its control of female sexuality, and reproduction, which is at the heart of unequal gender relations and is central to the denial of equality. Through culturally embedded concepts of virginity and chastity, women‘s sexuality is not only controlled by men but is often a symbol of the honor and status of a family, clan, caste, ethnic group, or race. There are marked pressures toward performing marriages at early ages of girls in order to minimize the risk of, and attendant dishonour associated with, improper sexual conduct by females.

        Society in Assam has undue concern about female virginity, and awareness of its absence severely hampers the marriage prospects of young girls. The institution of patriarchy of child marriage reduces the possibility of any suspicion regarding the virginity of a young girl. Marriages are arranged therefore, either immediately after or sometimes even before she attains puberty. Otherwise, the communities talk about the bad name which a young girl would bring to a household if she were to become pregnant out of wedlock. To avoid the problem of teenage pregnancy out of wedlock, a solution thought up by parents and society is to marry off the girls at younger ages. Rather than confronting teenage sexuality and encouraging sate and protected sex, child marriage is considered to be the only and proper solution by the parents and the community in the name of culture.

7. Miscellaneous causes:

The various reasons for child marriage overlap with each other and compound the effects of a cause or causes. The reasons listed in this study are also not the only explanations for child marriages in Assam. There are others also, A tremendous pressure from older members like grandparents, and also the community prevails on parents of children to marry off their young daughters. There is also the fear of not getting a suitable match if the marriage is delayed. It is interesting to note that child marriage is not looked upon as a problem by the society, as the girl is not sent to her husbands’ house immediately after the marriage. A ceremony called ‘gauna` is performed after she gets her menses, though the marriage is solemnized before she attains the age of puberty. she starts her married life only after she grows up. Moreover, social norms and customs, perceived low status of girls, poverty, lack of education, safely concerns about girl children etc, are considered to be the reasons for prevalence of child marriage in Assam.

Consequences of Child Marriages in Assam:

    Child marriage is not only a human rights violation but also is a barrier to development.

    Consequences of child marriages are discussed bellow:

(i) Adolescent  Fertility:

In all over our country early consent of childbearing is associated with high fertility. Early pregnancy therefore has a tendency to lead to larger families, with serious consequences for the health and well being of the mother as well as her children. In addition to its harmful effects on the health of mothers and children, this phenomenon has universal implications for population growth. Future generation of parents would be born more rapidly leading to a higher rate of population growth.

(ii) Maternal Mortality:

Childbearing at any age involve high risk. The maternal mortality ratios present the largest discrepancy in any public health statistics between urban and rural areas of Assam. Young women who have not reached full physical and physiological maturity are almost three times more likely to die from complications in childbirth than older women. At the national level also adolescents account for a high proportion of maternal deaths. Maternal deaths are considerably higher among adolescents than among older women.

3. Maternal Morbidity:

There are very few studies on maternal morbidity suffered by adolescent women in Assam. These studies point out that levels of maternal morbidity are considerably higher among adolescents than among older women. They suffer from anemia, high blood pressure and toxamia, delayed or obstructed labour, complications in pregnancy, and weight loss during lactation. Moderate and severe anemia both present serious risk. It has been proved that severe anemia can lead to premature delivery are maternal and fetal death. It is one of the most common contributing causes of maternal death and morbidity in Assam.

     High blood pressure, if uncontrolled, leads to eclampsia, which in turn may lead to congestive heart failure, paralysis, blindness, chronic hypertension, kidney damage and even death, stunting, as a result of malnutrition, frequently means that girls have a small or deformed pelvis, which may prevent normal delivery.

4. Unsafe Abortion:

A significant portion of maternal morbidity is associated with unsafe abortion and complications arising from it. Abortion contributes to infection, infertility and mortality among young women in Assam primarily because the medical services are not easily available, specially to adolescents. These girls appear to suffer a disproportionate share of unwanted pregnancies in Assam. Limited availability, poor quality and the cost have kept safe abortion out of reach of the poor women. Health consequences of unsafe abortion are acute, ranging from complications such as perforated uterus, cervical lacerations or haemorrhage in the short term to an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy, chronic pelvic infection and possible infertility in the long run. The problems are farther exacerbated by the fact that the existing health services specially in rural Assam are ill-equipped to address the needs of these adolescent girls, including timely evacuations and post abortion care, counselling and contraceptive services.

5. Infant mortality:

Infants who are born to young mothers also suffer a great health risk. Infants born to mothers who are below the age of twenty years at the time of the birth are more likely to experience higher prenatal and neonatal mortality than infants of older women. They are more likely to be of low birth weight. Among younger mothers there is a higher incidence of poor child health care, poor child-feeding behavior and inevitably child mortality.

6. Impact on Mental Health:

Another severe consequences of child marriage which has been prevailing in Assam is that the mental health of young girls is seriously affected. The relationship between gender in equalities and negative mental health consequences- particularly depression and anxiety- has been documented by health research child marriage along with low levels of education or no education, economic dependence, denial of decision-making power, inequality in the home, and sexual exploitation has negative impact on mental health. In our country, child marriage and cultural constraints on female roles have been associated with depression.

Other Consequences of Child Marriage:

Apart from affecting reproductive health, child marriage has other consequences too prevailed in Assam. It takes away educational opportunities of adolescent girls. As a consequence, it limits their opportunities for employment and income generation, sowing the seeds for a lifetime of dependency. It also takes away their personality development opportunities as they get hardly any exposure to the outside world. Lack of education limits women’s ability to make informed choices. Child marriage prevents young women from participating fully in the life of the family, the community, and the society. Child marriage prevents women as well as society from realizing their full potential.

            Their opportunities for socio-economic development in later life are considerably reduced. This ends-up in creating lower self-esteem in her own eyes and lower status in the eyes of other. Finally, it also makes her pass on the age-old patriarchal values to future generations, there by contributing to the vicious circle of women’s subordination and dependency.

Major Findings:

             At the time of marriage, adolescent girls are not even physically mature enough to face the consequences of sexual relations. The major problems of young girl’s reproductive health thus result from child marriage.

The major observations made during the study of this paper are summarized below:

Violation of human rights and child Marriage Restraint Act (CMRA) .

1. Lack of education in rural Assam. The Act is not widely known among women in Assam.
2. Most of the people live under social and cultural norms.
3. The literacy percent is low specially in rural areas.
4. Marriage and family institutions based on patriarchy have the worst impact on the lives of adolescents, as they are forced to undergo child marriage.
5. Adquate and accurate information about sexual and reproductive health is not available to adolescents.
6. Infants of adolescent mothers are at more risk, particularly when compared to older mothers.

7.Child marriages of young adolescents are deprive from social, cultural and also from decision making roles, their education and income earning options.

8. Awareness among adolescents about sexuality, contraceptive, overall reproductive health is extremely poor.
9. The most life threatening of young adolescent is the increased risk of maternal mortality and obstetric complications.

Suggestion and Conclusion:

            It is universal that marital status legitimates sexual activity and fertility. But since information and access to reproductive health issues and services are not easily available to married adolescents, one can imagine the pathetic situation of those adolescents who are sexually active outside marriage. Child marriage results in disastrous consequences on the health of girls, particularly on their reproductive health. They loss career and personality- building opportunities in life and overall development. It takes   away their right to life, right to live with dignity and right to personal development which are integral parts of fundamental human rights.

           How these challenges of early sexuality and child-bearing will be met on the near future will depend upon the response of communities, the nations, and the civil societies. One must, therefore condemn the practice of child marriage and should not support it in the name of culture or tradition in any society. If we do not prepare ourselves for it, we shall be risking the lives of future generations to an unimaginable extent.

      In order to prevent child marriage in Assam, I suggest designing strategies based on ground level understanding of the process of child development within different contexts and cultures. Some of the suggested strategies are promoting education among children, proper registration of marriages, providing economic support, appointing full-time child marriage prohibition officers and ensuring protection of the victims and prosecution of the offenders through prescribed mechanisms.

References

1. Sagade, Jaya; 2005; Child Marriage in India: Social-Legal and Human Rights Dimensions, Oxford University press, New Delhi.
2. Srinivasan, k. (2017); Population Concerns in India: shifting trends, policies and programs, SAGE Publications India Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi.
3. UNICEF (2014); Ending Child Marriage: Progress and Prospects, United Nations Children’s Fund, New York.

4. Saikia Niminita; Violation of Child Rights: A focus on the prevalence of Child Marriage in Assam, International Journal of Engineering Development – 2020, volume – 8, Issue – 1