Jharkhand's Birhor tribe joins movement against child marriage for first time

Ranchi: People belonging to the Birhor tribe, a particularly vulnerable tribal group in Jharkhand, have joined a movement against child marriage in Giridih for the first time, according to an organisation working in the field of protection of children's rights.

Birhor people are forest-dependent, belong to a semi-nomadic tribal community and are economically and socially much behind others.

Children's rights protection body Just Rights for Children Alliance (JRC) said, "Something different happened in Jharkhand’s Giridih district. For the first time, hundreds of people from the Birhor community joined a movement for a social cause. In the dimming light of dusk, people from the community came out of their dwellings to gather against child marriage, a rampant practice among the community."

This was the first time that community members were made aware of the consequences and legalities of child marriage and how to prevent the same, the organisation claimed.

Standing under the glow of burning candles, youth, children, women, and elders took a collective pledge to work towards ending child marriage, it said.

The candlelight marches were also being organised by Banvasi Vikas Ashram in support of 'Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat', a campaign against child marriage, launched by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, a statement of the organisation said.

Banvasi Vikas Ashram is among 250 partner NGOs of Just Rights for Children (JRC) alliance.

The ill effects of child marriage on children’s health, education, and overall well-being were discussed to make the Birhor tribe aware of the social evil. Everyone pledged not to marry off their children before the legal age, and to report child marriage cases, the statement said.

Active in 416 districts across the country, the civil society organisation claims to have stopped more than 7,000 child marriages in Jharkhand between April and December 2024.

Events were being held in blocks, villages and schools in support of the government campaign in all 24 districts of Jharkhand.

However, Jamtara, Deoghar, Godda, Giridih, Koderma and Dumka are among the districts where reports of child marriage are on the higher side, it added.