The 2011 Census has come up with the shocking disclosure that girls below the age of 15 in Odisha have given birth to babies when they should have been going to school. The exact figure, the data shows, of girls attaining motherhood even before 15 is 11,000. The figures point a finger to the failure of social welfare programmes and campaigns to contain early marriages and pregnancies.
Of the 59.09 lakh girls below the age of 15, 41,729 girls (0.7%) were already married. Around one-fourth of the married girls (10,685) in the same age group had delivered before celebrating their 15th birthday. While 3,896 (9.34% of those married) had become mothers of at least one child, 6,789 girls (16.27%) had delivered two children.
Women and child development minister Usha Devi said, "We need to focus more on creating awareness among parents because that is the only way to prevent underage marriages and pregnancies."
11,000 girls in Odisha are mothers before 15: Study - The Times of India
Of the 59.09 lakh girls below the age of 15, 41,729 girls (0.7%) were already married. Around one-fourth of the married girls (10,685) in the same age group had delivered before celebrating their 15th birthday. While 3,896 (9.34% of those married) had become mothers of at least one child, 6,789 girls (16.27%) had delivered two children.
Women and child development minister Usha Devi said, "We need to focus more on creating awareness among parents because that is the only way to prevent underage marriages and pregnancies."
11,000 girls in Odisha are mothers before 15: Study - The Times of India
