Join us in the nationwide campaign to eliminate child marriage and protect childhoods across India
Fulkumari Bapuji Club (FBC) vision is humanity, tolerance and social justice, where women and children and the disadvantaged grassroots population live with dignity, security and justice. We are dedicated to the development of deprived people like backward, poor, rural women, people with disabilities, child labour, victims of trafficking and violence in Assam.
The organization is working on the following issues: Child Marriage, Child Trafficking, Child Labour and Child Sexual Abuse. The organization participated and organized Child Marriage Free India Campaign in Dhubri and Goalpara districts of Assam covering over 150 villages under the project.
Fulkumari Bapuji Club conducted action month against child labour with the objective of preventing child labour. The campaign was conducted in collaboration with District Administration, District Child Protection Office and District Labour Departments.
Fulkumari Bapuji Club organized an awareness meeting, arranged a rally and conducted awareness sessions with stakeholders like Asha, Anganwadi, Jivika Sakhi, SHG groups and others.
Fulkumari Bapuji Club organized this program in association with Dhubri Bar Association and across different parts of the two districts. On this occasion, we unveiled the book "WHEN CHILDREN HAVE CHILDREN".
The campaign event was conducted in Dhubri and Goalpara districts, covering 300 villages with the cooperation of Gram Panchayats, Schools, RPF and Colleges etc. with notifications issued by Panchayat and Rural Development of Assam.
Child marriage is not just an age-old social evil, but also a heinous crime that robs children of their childhood. Child marriage is a "crime against children" that violates basic human rights. Minor girls are forced to marry and live a life of mental trauma, physical and biological stress, domestic violence including limited access to education and increased vulnerability to domestic violence.
The consequences of child marriage are severe and extensive. Some of the specific consequences include:
Understanding the seriousness of the issue, the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in W.P. Civil 382 of 2013 pronounced that the sexual intercourse committed by the husband upon his wife being under the age of 18 years with or without her consent can be constituted as rape.
To address this, the most definitive and audacious commitment to end child marriage was made with the launch of Child Marriage Free India campaign.
Child Marriage Free India (CMFI) is a nationwide campaign led by women leaders and a coalition of more than 160 NGOs spanning more than 300 districts working to eliminate child marriage in India. CMFI is working to attain the tipping point of child marriage, after which the society does not accept this evil practice.
The campaign aims to bring down the prevalence of child marriage to 5.5% by 2030, from the current national prevalence rate of 23.3%. This is being done by initially targeting 257 high-prevalence districts and gradually focusing on all the districts of the country.
So far, across India more than 5 crore people have taken the pledge to end child marriage over the last one year through the efforts of the Child Marriage Free India Campaign.
Addressing the issue of child marriage requires a comprehensive and coordinated approach of different government departments, institutions, statutory bodies, and civil society organisations.
The book "WHEN CHILDREN HAVE CHILDREN – TIPPING POINT TO END CHILD MARRIAGE" authored by Mr. Bhuvan Ribhu is an action plan to eliminate child marriage in India by 2030. It looks at the existing data on child marriage and lists 257 districts in India where the issue of child marriage is worst.
Tipping Point is the threshold required in an ecosystem needed to tilt the scale of the problem towards a point of no-return. The Tipping Point of Child Marriage is the critical point after which the society does not accept child marriage.
The aim is reduction of 60 percent of child marriage to bring down the incidence of child marriage to 5.5 percent by 2030. The strategy includes:
Scenario: A 16-year-old girl (Konika Biswas) and a 19-year-old boy (Rahul Biswas) eloped despite family objections. The boy's family was financially well-off while the girl's family was poor.
Action Taken: On 14/06/2023, Fulkumari Bapuji Club received information about this child marriage case. Our Community Social Worker (CSW) contacted the GP Secretary (CMPO), ASHA, VDP Secretary and other stakeholders. The team visited both families and counseled them about the PCMA 2006 law, explaining the legal consequences including potential jail time.
Outcome: After lengthy discussions, both families agreed to bring the children back. The CSW and CMPO counseled the couple and obtained undertakings from both guardians. Initially, the girl's family refused to accept her back, so she was placed in a Children's Home with CWC consultation. Eventually, through community awareness efforts, the girl was reunited with her family.
The rich dominating the poor in decision-making
Guardians having limited control when children elope
Stigma, infamy, embarrassment and social discrimination
CMPO living far from GP area causing delays
Traditional rituals and customs persisting due to low education
Some government officials not prioritizing the issue initially
Our campaign includes various awareness activities across the districts:
Child Marriage Free India Campaign conducted wall writing by Community Social Workers in different parts of the district to spread awareness.
Community Social Workers conducted awareness on Child Marriage and placed posters on temple and mosque walls on the occasion of Akshay Trithiya.
Your support can help us reach more villages, prevent child marriages, and protect childhoods across Assam and India.