No Marriage Before 18 Years of Age!

Marriages below 18 years of age is banned in Tatiaguda village of Kotpad block in Koraput district . While marriages of children in their early teens was a regular practice in most of the tribal communities of Koraput district , these villagers , after acknowledging the ill effects of early marriages on the lives of the young couple and the new born children , have come up with a resolution imposing a strict ban on the practice of early marriage .

Now for the last one year no one below the age group of 18 years was married in the village , Tulabati Muduli , an elderly woman from the village said . However this was not achieved on a single day , but only after the villagers had experienced a series of serious setbacks by marrying off their children at an early age . More particularly the case of Padmini Muduli , a girl from the village had changed the thoughts and actions in the village leading to this concluding resolution , she added.


Padmani Muduli who had got married at an age as early as 10 years to Arjun Muduli , a boy of 12 years from the neighbouring village a few years back had still births in the first two consecutive pregnancies . While she was blessed with a son in her third pregnancy, it gave more shock than pleasure for the couple and also the villagers as the boy was born weak.

The villagers under the leadership of the women group and in consultation with ARYAN , a local youth organization and officials from SSA had sensitized the people with the support of UNICEF on the ill effects of the practice . Adding to these understandings more thoughts and plans had emerged out of the village planning exercise conducted by these organizations with the support of the villagers .

Subsequent meetings by the volunteers had re affirmed their stand to educate their children at least to complete their high school and the school which was an EGS and did not have a building of its own has a house of its own . Thanks to the collective effort of the villagers . Children are going to the school and the teacher also attends the classes regularly, , Sukal Dei Muduli , another woman from the village said. This process of engaging the girls in getting education till they cross their adolescence would support the initiative to check early marriages in the community , she added.

While things were changing for the better in the district with such self driven initiatives by villagers and groups coming forward to prevent early marriage , introduction of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya(KGBV) scheme by the government in the district , new hopes have emerged out in creating platforms for the girls to complete their education at least up to their middle school level, Padmini Pathi , Gender Coordinator of DPEP at Koraput said . The tribal girls are now been given quality education under this scheme while accommodating them in hostels specially meant for them and providing special care to bring out the latent talent in each of them by exposing them to various forums and interactions .

However looking at the other implications and health related concerns including their physical and psychological development the situation could only be brought under the desired control if the scheme was kept open up to the high school level , she hoped.