About Our Organization

GRAM JYOTI (GJ) is committed to addressing issues pertaining to the development and protection of women and children, health and nutrition, education, and the rights and advancement of the rights of various vulnerable social groups in 150 villages of Dumka district in Jharkhand state. The organization is working on the following issue of Child Marriage, Child Trafficking, Child Labour and Child Sexual Abuse. The organization participated and organized Child Marriage Free India Campaign in Dumka districts of Jharkhand covering over 150 villages under the project.

The major activities of “Child Marriage Free India Campaign”

1. Awareness Rath - With the joint initiative of GRAM JYOTI (GJ)and Social Welfare Office, Dumka, an Awareness Rath, moved in our areas throughout the week and audio messages and pamphlets related to Child Marriage Free India were also distributed among the people.The main objective of the awareness rath was to make the community aware about the ill effects and legal provisions of child marriage.

2. June Action Month –GRAM JYOTI (GJ) conducted the action month with the objective of rescue and rehabilitation of child labourand trafficked children. During the action month with the collaboration of DTF (District Task Force) GJ rescued 5 child labour and 4 trafficked girls rescued. Along with this, 2 traffickers were arrested and FIR was lodged against establishments.

3. 100 days awareness campaign - The 100 days of campaign was organized by GRAM JYOTI with the close direction of DLSA, Dumka. GJ conducted regularly awareness programs on “Child Marriage Free Dumka” in the schools and community. Prabhat Pheri, Quiz/Painting competitions are also organized in the 54 schools with covering of 6500 children.

4. Celebrating International Girls Child Day – The district level event has been conducted by the GJ with the collaboration of District Administration and Social Welfare Office, Dumka. The Social Welfare Office, Dumka issued a notification regarding conducting the event by Gram Jyoti. During the event Govt. officials launch the book “When Children Have Children” Author Shri BhuwanRibhu.

5. 16 October 2023 - Child Marriage Free India Campaign Event – The campaign event was conducted in Dumka district covering225villages in collaboration of District education department, District Panchayati Raj, District Child Protect Unit, JSLPS and District Health Department with notifications issued by Deputy Commissioner and District Social Welfare department. The campaign was organized in Dumka districts, 225 villages with 1490 women leaders and adolescent girls an outreach of 72000.

Background

Child marriage is not just an age-old social evil, but also a heinous crime that robs children of their childhood. Child marriage is a “crime against children” that violates basic human rights, minor girls are forced to marry and live a life of mental trauma, physical and biological stress, domestic violence including limited access to education and increased vulnerability to domestic violence. The consequences of child marriage are severe and extensive. Some of the specific consequences include: early pregnancies leading to complications and higher rate of maternal mortality and death of infants, malnutrition among both the infant and the mother, increased vulnerability to reproductive health, disruption in girl’s education and thereby reduction in opportunities of her personal and professional development, domestic violence and abuse, limited decision making powers in the household, and mental health issues.

India’s Census 2011 revealed 12 million children were married before attaining the legal age, of which 5.2 million were girls. Globally, child marriage is identified as a crime and a menace that needs to be eliminated. It finds space in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, under target 5.3 of Goal 5 that states elimination of all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation by 2025.

The latest National Family Health Survey (2019-21) shows that although there is a drop in the overall rate of child marriages, from 26.8% in the National Family Health Survey (NFHS 4) to 23.3% in NFHS-5, it is still high despite laws, programmes and schemes in place to address the issue.

Child Marriage Free India Campaign

Understanding the seriousness of the issue, the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in W.P. Civil 382 of 2013 pronounced that the sexual intercourse committed by the husband upon his wife being under the age of 18 years with or without her consent can be constituted as rape. To address this, the most definitive and audacious commitment to end child marriage was made with the launch of Child Marriage Free India campaign.

Child Marriage Free India (CMFI) is a nationwide campaign led by women leaders and a coalition of more than 160 NGOs spanning more than 300 districts working to eliminate child marriage in India. CMFI is working to attain the tipping point of child marriage, after which the society does not accept this evil practice and that will happen when the prevalence of child marriage is brought down to 5.5% by 2030, from the current national prevalence rate of 23.3%. This is being done by initially targeting 257 high-prevalence districts and gradually focusing on all the districts of the country.

Child marriage results in child rape, resulting in child pregnancy, and in a large number of cases, may lead to child deaths. For decades, we have been losing generations of our children to child marriage. The Child Marriage Free India campaign has received extended support from various Departments and Institutions of over 28 States. So far, across India more than 5 crore people have taken the pledge to end child marriage over the last one year through the efforts of the Child Marriage Free India Campaign.

Know more about the Child Marriage Free India (CMFI) Campaign:https://www.childmarriagefreeindia.org/

Tipping Point to end child marriage

Noted child rights activist, author, Supreme Court lawyer and founder of CMFI campaign, BhuwanRibhu has authored a book - ‘When Children Have Children: Tipping Point to End Child Marriage’ and put forth a framework advocating a sustainable, holistic and focused strategy with time-bound targets and measurable indicators to make India child marriage free by 2030. This book shows the path to eliminating child marriage in India within the next decade. As suggested by the author in the book, by adopting a systematic, highly focused, and intensive intervention model, over a phased timeline it is possible to reduce the national child marriage prevalence levels to 5.5% —the threshold, the tipping point, beyond which the prevalence is anticipated to diminish organically with reduced reliance on targeted interventions.

Tipping Point Methodology

The aim of reduction of 60% of child marriage (in each of the phases) is assumed to bring down the incidence of child marriage to 5.5% in the next 9 nine years from 2021, from the last available estimates i.e., NFHS-5, till 2030. An additional assumption is that such a focused and elaborate intervention against child marriage would have a ripple effect. The tipping point analysis has been divided into two phases. The first phase will extend over a period of six years, starting in 2021. Subsequently, the second phase will span over a three-year period. It is expected that the national average for child marriage prevalence (percentage women aged 20-24 who were married before 18 years) would decline from 23.3% to 13.7% if the prevalence of child marriage is reduced by 60% in the 257 high-prevalence districts in the first phase followed by a further reduction of 60% in all districts across the country.

In order to reach the Tipping Point, the author has proposed a strategy at national and district level.

a. National Level strategy where Governments, Institutions, statutory bodies, etc. work towards prevention, protection, increased investment, improved prosecution, convergence and use of technology for monitoring.
b. District Level strategy is similar to national level strategy but includes district administration, Panchayats, civil society, NGOs, other functionaries, parents and children who work collectively to prevent, report, and take action against child marriage.

Case Study

A story of Stopping Child Marriage

Taking immediate action on this, Program Coordinator of Gram Jyoti/KSCF-US, Dumka first lodged a case on 112 with the support of female leader (caller). After that, the concerned officers were informed through correspondence. Seeing the seriousness of the matter, the Block Development Officer (CMPO) directed Raneshwar police station to take action on the basis of the relevant information and also suggested to take help of local workers (Shibani & Kashif) of Gram Jyoti/KSCF-US. Without wasting time, CWPO of Raneshwar police station along with other police forces and our CSWs stopped the child marriage and gave proper counseling to the family. The girl's family understood and accepted the mistake. And said that now I will marry my daughter after turn she 18 years or till she wants to study. After this, written undertakings were taken from the girl's family in which VLCPC members, PRI and villagers were present as witnesses. During this entire incident, there was a ray of hope in the eyes of the girl. Currently the girl is going to school regularly, she is saying that I did not want to do marriage. I will appeal to everyone to not to do marriage of their child until they cross a legal age.