Odisha registers sharp rise in prevention of child marriages

Increased awareness and better coordination among field-level staff leading to decline in the practice

Odisha has witnessed a sharp increase in the number of child marriages prevented over the past four years following increased awareness and better coordination among field-level staff. As against 657 child marriages stopped in 2019, 1,108 were stopped in 2020. In the first five months in the current year, attempts to solemnize 726 such marriages have been foiled. In 2017, 324 child marriages were stopped following the last-minute intervention from community, NGOs and field-level officials. In 2018, the number grew marginally to 411. However, the last two years saw a massive jump in the marriages being stopped.