Bhubaneswar: Odisha Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy and Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR) chairperson Babita Patra flagged off the ‘Bal Vivah Mukti Rath’ here on Sunday.
The unique Rath, with a pledge wall and awareness messages against child marriage, will travel through different villages and towns across the state till March 8.
An initiative of Just Rights for Children (JRC), Bal Vivah Mukti Rath is part of the India government’s 100-day nationwide intensive campaign to end child marriage.
JRC is among the country’s largest child rights networks, with over 250 NGO partners working across more than 450 districts to strengthen child protection systems and end child marriage by 2030.
The flag-off ceremony was organised in the state capital by JRC partner Ruchika Social Service Organization.
The ‘Bal Vivah Mukti Rath’, equipped with powerful slogans in the form of posters and through loudspeakers, and a pledge-signing board, will reach the most remote and marginalised communities of Odisha.
Four-wheelers will cover routes with major roads and decent accessibility, while remote villages with poor connectivity will be reached through motorcycle or cycle caravans so that the fight against child marriage can be taken to the last mile.
“There are districts with a high prevalence of child marriage, but the Odisha government is firmly committed to ending this crime. The state government has taken several proactive steps to prevent child marriage, including designating Panchayat Executive Officers and hostel wardens as Child Marriage Prohibition Officers
, and appointing all headmasters as Child Marriage Information Officers. We will make Odisha child marriage free at the earliest,” said Padhy.
To ensure that child marriage remains at the forefront of the state’s agenda, Padhy assured that she will initiate a detailed discussion on child marriage issues in the Odisha Legislative Assembly and allocate sufficient time for deliberation on the matter.
OSCPCR Chairman Babita praised the collaborative efforts of the government and civil society organisations, saying that such “whole-of-society” approach will ensure the elimination of child marriage in the state.
Sumitra Pattanaik, Additional Secretary, Women and Child Development, was among those who signed the pledge against child marriage.
During the course of its month-long journey, ‘Bal Vivah Mukti Rath’ will engage panchayats, district administrations, CMPOs, and other government officials to reach out to communities for awareness and pledges.
The journey, to culminate on International Women’s Day, will cover schools, gram sabhas, religious institutions, and historical sites and spread the message through nukkad nataks, cultural programmes and survivors’ stories.
Similar ‘Bal Vivah Mukti Rath’ by JRC are currently travelling across 25 states.
The prevalence of child marriage in Odisha is at 20.5 per cent, lower than the national average of 23.3 per cent. However, there are significant disparities across districts. As per the National Family Health Survey V (2019-21), prevalence of child marriage is above 30 per cent in Nabarangapur, Nayagarh, Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri and Mayurbhanj. Six other districts have a prevalence rate higher than the national average.
In a move to curb child marriages, Odisha government has launched ‘Mukhyamantri Kanya Bibaha Yojana’, under which Rs 60,000 is transferred to brides aged 18-35 years and grooms aged 21-35 years within seven days of the registration of marriage, and another Rs 15,000 for rituals and wedding preparations.