On the occasion of the International Day of the Girl Child on 11 October 2023, Vikasaarth Trust, unveiled a book entitled ‘When Children Have Children: Tipping Point To End Child Marriage’, as part of the ongoing nationwide Child Marriage Free India campaign.
The author, Mr Bhuwan Ribhu, is a noted child rights activist and one of the most prolific lawyers in India working for the protection of women and children. Mr Ribhu is the advisor to Vikasaarth Trust which works for the safeguarding and protection of child rights in Lakhisarai. The book puts forth ideas, a framework, and an action plan to eliminate child marriage from India and is a key milestone in the Child Marriage Free India campaign, which is led by civil society organisations and women activists in more than 300 high prevalence districts.
The book was released by a child marriage survivor from Barmasia Village. Shri Amrendra Kumar (IAS), District Magistrate Lakhisarai, and many dignitaries were present.
There has been a marked progress in the way India has been handling the issue of child marriage but the road ahead is still long and the country still hasn’t reached the tipping point of child marriage. India’s current rate of child marriage is still at 23.3 per cent and UNICEF estimates that if the progress of the last 10 years continues, child marriages in India would come down to six percent by 2050.
When Children Have Children suggests it is possible to reduce the national child marriage prevalence levels to 5.5 percent by 2030—the threshold beyond which the prevalence is expected to diminish with less reliance on targeted interventions. “What is needed is an urgency with a resolve to say ‘no more.’ A child sold, raped and lost to maternal death, is a child too many,” stated Mr Bhuwan Ribhu in the book.
Sunita Singh, Secretary Vikasaarth, said on the release of the book, “We have been consistently working on the ground to completely end child marriage. We are working on two aspects of behavioural change. The first is awareness generation. And the second important aspect is the enforcement of existing laws and policies. Now, this book gives us a very clear picture on how to end this crime with a proper strategy. It is a roadmap for everyone from government agencies to communities to people like us. We are really inspired and feel hopeful that our mission to make India child marriage free will not remain a dream.”