child marriage rate 11-9 pc in tripura media workshop highlights urgent need to address the menace
Tripura News Briefcase

Child marriage rate 11.9 pc in Tripura: Media Workshop Highlights Urgent Need to Address the menace

A media workshop titled "Promoting a Public Narrative on Increasing the Value of the Girl Child" was held in Agartala on Wednesday. The event, organized by the Guwahati-based Centre for Development and Peace Studies (CDPS) in collaboration with UNICEF, aimed to raise awareness among Tripura's media fraternity about the state’s alarmingly high prevalence of child marriages.

Tripura has a child marriage rate of 11.9%, significantly higher than the national average of 7.3%. The workshop sought to address this critical concern by fostering dialogue and equipping journalists to report more effectively on the issue.

The workshop brought together a distinguished panel of speakers, including Wasbir Hussain, Editor-in-Chief of North East Live and a founding member of CDPS; Prof. Yogesh Pratap Singh, founding Vice-Chancellor of National Law University, Tripura; Pranab Sarkar, Editor of Headlines Tripura and president of the Journalist Union; senior journalist Sayed Sajjad Ali; Dr. Debasree Debnath, Assistant Professor at National Law University; Oineetom Ojah, Associate Editor at North East Live; and UNICEF India representatives Purvi Malhotra, Communications Specialist, and Laxminarayan Nanda, Child Protection Specialist.

 

| Related report: Tripura student Jyotsna Akhtar: A Beacon of empowerment defying Child Marriage |

 

Tripura Child Marriage Workshop UNICEFThe speakers highlighted the profound impact of child marriage on individuals and communities, emphasizing that it curtails childhood, disrupts education, harms health, and perpetuates poverty across generations.

They also discussed national trends, noting that child marriage in India has decreased from 47% in 2005–06 to 27% in 2015–16.

However, the rate remains unacceptably high and reflects deeply rooted gender inequality and harmful social norms.

In Tripura, underreporting of child marriage remains a significant issue, with many cases going unrecorded due to the lack of centralized monitoring systems.

The workshop emphasized the importance of addressing this gap to ensure better enforcement and intervention.

Over 36 journalists from across the state participated in the workshop, describing it as an eye-opener. They acknowledged the critical role of media in raising awareness and addressing the socio-cultural and structural factors driving child marriage. Many participants agreed that the workshop provided valuable insights to enhance their reporting skills and contribute to efforts to combat this pressing issue.

The event concluded by reinforcing the media’s responsibility as a powerful tool to create change, urging journalists to champion narratives that promote the value of the girl child and help eliminate child marriage.

(Tripura, Northeast)

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