Odisha sets up task force to prevent Child Marriages

A task force has been set-up in the Koraput district of Odisha to check the practice of child marriage, common among the tribal communities in the region.

Task-Force for Preventing Child Marriages

• The task force comprises of officials from 21 departments, including health, education, social welfare and police.
• The education department has been tasked to create a database of the dropouts and provide life skills to them as school dropout often contributes to child marriage.
• The community radio service Dhimsa which is run by a voluntary organisation SOVA has been asked to broadcast programmes on child marriage in the tribal language.
• The child development protection officers (CDPOs) and Anganwadi workers have been told to stay vigilant to check the illegal practice in their respective areas. The CDPOs will act as child marriage prohibition officers.
• In addition, the district administration is planning to launch a massive awareness programme against the social menace of child marriage.

Why the focus is on Koraput district?

The annual rate of child marriage in the Koraput district is 34.7 per cent while the state average stands at 21.3 per cent and a national average of 26.8 per cent. These high incidences of child marriages have contributed to infant mortality, maternal mortality and malnutrition. Hence a special task force has been constituted to tackle this social menace.