The argument for free education up until the age of eighteen has gained momentum, especially in light of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, which include ending child marriage by 2030.
Recognizing the critical relationship between socioeconomic status and education, proponents contend that awareness raised through education has a substantial influence on lifestyle decisions and lowers the rate of child marriage.
A voluntary organization's recent survey highlights the possibility of enacting free education laws to end child marriage in India by 2030. The group is pushing for this idea to be included in the manifestos of all political parties running in the April–May 2024 Indian general elections.
The organization cites Kerala as an example of how education and child marriage are related, pointing out that the state's 96 percent female education rate and its below-6 percent child marriage rate are related. On the other hand, lower rates of female education are correlated with higher rates of child marriage in states like West Bengal and Bihar.
On the occasion of International Women's Day, 160 non-profit organizations came together to publish a study denouncing child marriage as a "social crime" and promoting extensive national campaigns against child marriage.
Director of Policy and Research at Child Marriage Free India Jyoti Mathur highlights that universal and mandatory free education until the age of eighteen, along with strict enforcement by federal and state authorities, will accelerate the reduction of child marriage rates and possibly lead to the elimination of child marriage by 2030.
West Bengal presents a complex challenge, though, as the rate of child marriage is still high at 42 percent, even with the impressive 77 percent female education rate. This discrepancy highlights the complex interactions between socioeconomic circumstances, cultural norms, and education that lead to child marriage.
The need to address this issue is evident from recent data from the National Family Health Survey, which shows that 23.3% of girls aged 20 to 24 were married before turning 18. Two-thirds of girls were married between the ages of 15 and 17, according to the 2011 census, underscoring the frequency of early marriages and the necessity of focused interventions.