Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A book ‘When Children Have Children: Tipping Point To End Child Marriage’ authored by Bhuwan Ribhu, proposing a strategy and action plan to achieve the target of eradicating the practice, was unveiled on the International Day of the Girl Child in 22 districts of the state.
Ribhu, who is a noted child rights activist and one of the most prolific lawyers in India working for the protection of women and children, is the advisor to over 160 organisations working for safeguarding and protection of child rights in the country.
The book was released by child marriage survivors and dignitaries from law enforcement agencies and civil society organisations. Unveiling the book, the child marriage survivors shared their ordeal and physical as well as mental trauma they went through due to their early marriages.
From physical assault to emotional abuse, from early pregnancies to the death of their new-borns, they talked about the many dangerous consequences of child marriage. While India has made a strong progress by reducing child marriage by more than 50 percent since 2006 and the national average now stands at 23.3 percent, the situation still looks grim.
The book is a key milestone in the Child Marriage Free India campaign being led by civil society organisations and women activists in more than 300 high-prevalence districts in the country with an aim to eliminate child marriage.
