According to official records of the Social Welfare Department, every third marriage of Assam is a child marriage.
What is more shocking is that that in at least seven major districts of lower Assam, the ratio of the Child marriage to normal marriage is 2:1, which means every second marriage of these districts is a child marriage.
This shocking revelation has exposed how much the system has not been able to penetrate even seven decades after independence.
Confirming this information, Manideepa Saikia, Deputy Director of Social Welfare Department said that lot had to be done on this sector and it is shameful that even in 2018 Assam is fighting Child Marriage.
Here are the records:
Assam – 32.6%
Barpeta – 46.9%
Bongaigaon – 42.5%
Chirang – 34%
Dhubri – 48.3%
Golaghat -27.2%
Jorhat- 21.9%
Lakhimpur – 27%
Sonitpur – 25.8%
Tinsukia – 25.%
Although primarily Muslim and Tea Garden community have been blamed for this mess but increasing child marriages of entire Assam is also being noticed.
"Today everyone are solemnizing the marriage and as a result Child marriage is mushrooming and can not be contained." Said Mr Rafikul Islam of Anchlik Gramonyanan Oaisha. He and his team has so far stopped at least 300 such marriage in Barpeta district alone.
Meanwhile Dr Tulika Goswami Mahanta commenting in the Child marriage, said that due to the child marriage the babies are malnourished and one third of Assamese new born are stunted, i.e lack of proper growth.
