UNICEF calls for alliance against child marriage
Chief of UNICEF field office for Madhya Pradesh, Tania Goldner on Saturday gave a call for strong alliance against child marriage.
Goldner in a media release said, "Child marriage is a violation of child rights and unfortunately, it is still a very sad reality in India."
She said, "The good thing is that India has legislation in place to prevent child marriages. Law needs to be enforced and an efficient monitoring system should be in place during the whole year in order for child marriage to be prevented."
She further added that there is a need to focus on changing mindsets and communities’ attitudes towards child marriage, based on a better understanding of the negative impact it has on child growth and development.
In its call, UNICEF shared steps which can be taken up by the State and Civil society organizations to prevent child marriages like setting up a state level Task Force with Government Departments, Judiciary and Child Rights Organisations to review/monitor the incidence of child marriage at least on a quarterly basis.
UNICEF urged for Strengthening the implementation of Child Marriage Prohibition Act 2006 and empowering the office of the Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) to act upon instances of child marriage stringently.
The agency urged promoting marriage registration and ensuring its compliance, Gram Panchayats to be mandated to monitor the occurrence of child marriages and report the same to Child Marriage Prohibition Officers.
"Establish active partnerships between government and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to roll out community based child protection programmes, including communication campaigns and inter-personal communication to facilitate change in the mind-set of the community," the release read.
UNICEF also demanded establishment of Child Protection Committees (CPCs) across all Villages and Urban Areas, as mandated under Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS), and empowering them to track and prevent violations against children including child marriages.
Setting up networks of children and adolescents and empowering them with information and skills to enable their participation in decisions that affect their lives, UNICEF said.
"Create more positive opportunities for adolescents, particularly girls, to access quality education as well as skill building programmes. When the adolescents are thus meaningfully engaged, they will be better equipped to negotiate for themselves and parents would refrain from forcing marriages on their children," Goldner said.
Chief of UNICEF field office for Madhya Pradesh, Tania Goldner on Saturday gave a call for strong alliance against child marriage. Goldner in a media release said, "Child marriage is a violation of child rights and unfortunately, it is still a very sad reality in India." She said, "The good...
Chief of UNICEF field office for Madhya Pradesh, Tania Goldner on Saturday gave a call for strong alliance against child marriage.
Goldner in a media release said, "Child marriage is a violation of child rights and unfortunately, it is still a very sad reality in India."
She said, "The good thing is that India has legislation in place to prevent child marriages. Law needs to be enforced and an efficient monitoring system should be in place during the whole year in order for child marriage to be prevented."
She further added that there is a need to focus on changing mindsets and communities’ attitudes towards child marriage, based on a better understanding of the negative impact it has on child growth and development.
In its call, UNICEF shared steps which can be taken up by the State and Civil society organizations to prevent child marriages like setting up a state level Task Force with Government Departments, Judiciary and Child Rights Organisations to review/monitor the incidence of child marriage at least on a quarterly basis.
UNICEF urged for Strengthening the implementation of Child Marriage Prohibition Act 2006 and empowering the office of the Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) to act upon instances of child marriage stringently.
The agency urged promoting marriage registration and ensuring its compliance, Gram Panchayats to be mandated to monitor the occurrence of child marriages and report the same to Child Marriage Prohibition Officers.
"Establish active partnerships between government and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to roll out community based child protection programmes, including communication campaigns and inter-personal communication to facilitate change in the mind-set of the community," the release read.
UNICEF also demanded establishment of Child Protection Committees (CPCs) across all Villages and Urban Areas, as mandated under Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS), and empowering them to track and prevent violations against children including child marriages.
Setting up networks of children and adolescents and empowering them with information and skills to enable their participation in decisions that affect their lives, UNICEF said.
"Create more positive opportunities for adolescents, particularly girls, to access quality education as well as skill building programmes. When the adolescents are thus meaningfully engaged, they will be better equipped to negotiate for themselves and parents would refrain from forcing marriages on their children," Goldner said.
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