Manipur: Sensitisation programme highlights negative impacts of child marriage on society

Manipur's Social Welfare Department Director, Ngangom Uttam Singh, urged concerned staff and officials to expedite efforts in creating awareness about the long-term negative impacts of child marriage on society, expressing concern over the rising issue of child marriage in the state.

Singh raised the concern during a one-day orientation and sensitisation programme for Child Marriage Prohibition Officers of Manipur which was held at Hotel Imphal on February 27. The programme was organised by department of Social Welfare.

Presenting his opening remarks, Uttam said that the valley areas have more cases of child marriage than the hill areas. However, he noted the need to ascertain whether such cases are not occurring in the hill areas or if there is simply a lack of reporting. 

He continued by mentioning that the valley region has a higher number of child marriage prohibition officers compared to the hill areas. As a result, the chances of reporting child marriage cases are likely higher in the valley than in the hills. 

While stating that the department has suggested increasing the number of child marriage prohibition officers in the hill areas, he urged localities to apply for the appointment of more officers if they feel the need to do so. 

Uttam also called for scaling up awareness on child marriage, pointing out that, according to records, Thoubal and Bishnupur districts have a higher number of child marriage cases compared to other districts. He stressed that creating widespread awareness is key to addressing this issue. However, he noted that there is no separate program for conducting awareness specifically on child marriage. He urged that the concerned staff or officials should address this issue whenever there is a program related to women and children. 

The event underscored the need for stronger awareness campaigns to educate the public about the harmful effects of child marriage and to ensure strict enforcement of laws. 

Participants also suggested including the issue of child marriage in the school syllabus. 

The resource persons deliberated on various topics, including the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, experience-sharing on child marriage cases, and the POCSO Act of 2012.