Odisha launches a statewide campaign to eliminate child marriage by 2030 as NFHS-5 data highlights high prevalence in tribal and rural districts
OdishaPlus Bureau
In a renewed push to end child marriage, the Odisha government on Sunday launched a statewide campaign, reaffirming its commitment to eradicate the practice by 2030.
Child marriage continues to pose a serious social challenge in the state. According to NFHS-5 data, about 20.5 per cent of women aged 20–24 in Odisha were married before attaining the legal age of 18. The persistence of the practice has been linked to deep-rooted social and cultural norms, poverty, low literacy levels, and traditional customs, particularly in certain tribal-dominated regions.
Although Odisha’s child marriage rate is lower than the national average of 23.3 per cent, the prevalence remains disturbingly high in at least 12 districts. Districts such as Nabarangpur, Nayagarh, Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri and Mayurbhanj report rates close to or above 30 per cent. Nabarangpur has the highest incidence, with 39.4 per cent of girls married before the age of 18.
The data also highlights a rise in the number of child grooms in the state, increasing from 11 per cent in NFHS-4 to 13.3 per cent in NFHS-5. Underage marriages are significantly more common in rural areas, where the rate stands at 14.8 per cent, compared to 7.41 per cent in urban areas.
The campaign was formally launched by Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy, who flagged off the ‘Bal Vivah Mukti Rath’, a mobile awareness vehicle fitted with a pledge wall, posters and audio messages against child marriage. The rath will travel across villages and towns in the state until March 8 to spread awareness and mobilise community participation.
Reiterating the government’s resolve to protect the dignity and safety of girls, Padhy acknowledged that child marriage remains prevalent in several districts but said the state was determined to eliminate it. She noted that panchayat executive officers and hostel wardens have been designated as child marriage prohibition officers, while headmasters have been appointed as child marriage information officers. “We will make Odisha child-marriage free at the earliest,” she said.
To reach remote and poorly connected areas, the campaign will use four-wheelers on major roads and motorcycle or bicycle caravans in interior regions. Padhy was accompanied by Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights chairperson Babita Patra. The state has also launched the ‘Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah Yojana’ to curb child marriage.
An initiative of Just Rights for Children, the campaign forms part of the Centre’s 100-day nationwide drive against child marriage and is being implemented in Odisha by Ruchika Social Service Organisation.