The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has reported that more than 11,000 children in Odisha are at risk of child marriage. This alarming statistic was highlighted in the commission’s recent publication titled “Comprehensive Report of Virtual Review Meetings on Child Marriage with Districts Across India for 2023-24,” which was made available on their website.
The NCPCR identified that around 11,053 children had been absent from school for 30 consecutive days without any notification during the 2023-24 academic year or had completely dropped out. This data is critical as it serves as an indicator of the vulnerability to child marriage.
The nationwide survey was conducted in collaboration with state governments, aiming to establish standard operating procedures (SOPs) to combat child marriages throughout India. In Odisha, the survey covered 26,415 schools across 19,683 villages and blocks. Data was gathered from all 30 districts in the state, involving over 66,000 participants, which revealed that 11,053 children are at risk.
On a national scale, the survey found that more than 1.1 million students had either been absent for a month or had dropped out of school, often due to child marriage. In Uttar Pradesh alone, over 500,000 children were identified as vulnerable. Neighboring states also reported significant numbers: West Bengal had over 37,900 at risk, Chhattisgarh identified more than 13,200, and Jharkhand found close to 52,000 children vulnerable to early marriage.
