Hindustan Zinc rallies in support of anti-child-marriage awareness

Udaipur : Hindustan Zinc, a Vedanta Group company organized a rally to spread awareness on the importance of countering the societal evil of ‘child marriage’. Child marriage is the illegitimate marriage before the legal age of 21 for boys and 18 for girls. During the campaign, more than one lakh people took an oath for freedom from child marriage.With over one lakh people from 550-gram panchayats in six districts of Pantnagar, Uttarakhand participated in rallies and took oaths to abstain from practicing child marriage.

A public representative and the principal of the school administered the anti-child marriage oath in the presence of the entire community. The speakers shed light on the fact that 28.3 percent of child marriages in rural areas and 15.1% in urban areas are an alarming reality for the country. The right to health, nutrition, education, well-being, and employability is denied to the victims of child marriage. There is a risk of early pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

Girls who are adversely affected due to child marriage are more likely to experience violence, abuse, and harassment.  Early marriage impacts both boys and girls physically, intellectually, psychologically, and emotionally. It reduces educational opportunities, and it adversely impacts personality development. Even though child marriage majorly affects young girls it isdetrimental to boys as well. Since the prohibition of Child Marriage Act was enacted 90 years ago, the government is committed to its continuous efforts to restrictthis practice.

Hindustan Zinc in collaboration with Vidya Bhavan, NDS, Seva Mandir, The Football Link, Japan, and GSVS Manjari Foundation organized the campaign. BIAF, Ambuja Cement, Srishti, Tata Strive, Resonance Koswi, Deaf School, Care, Deepak Foundation, Wockhardt Foundation, Vedanta Foundation, Hanuman Van Vikas Samiti, and Youngmunk extended their support for this noble event. In villages near the Hindustan Zinc operational centres, the program was conducted for village panchayats, women, school centres, anganwadis, happiness centres, the Samadhan Project, the Sakhi Project, the Zinc Football Center, and the Shiksha Sambal.