Awareness Key To Preventing Child Marriages, Opine Speakers At Programme In Leh

By Rinchen Angmo Chumikchan

Leh: An awareness programme on Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 was organised by the Child Welfare Committee at the DC Conference Hall in Leh on Saturday.

The programme saw active participation of key stakeholders and officials involved in child welfare and protection in the district. Mohsina Aslam, Protection Officer for Institutional Care, in her opening remarks, emphasised the importance of raising awareness on child rights and the collective responsibility of society in safeguarding children from early and forced marriages.

While delivering the keynote address, Tashi Dolma, Member of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), provided an in-depth understanding of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. She highlighted the legal framework, the vulnerabilities faced by children, and the socio-economic impact of child marriage, especially on girls. She added, “We received an intimation from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to organise this meeting with stakeholders. Although we do not have any data regarding child marriage in Leh district, we are planning to conduct awareness programmes in far-flung areas in the coming years. We have also published some skits on social media platforms to spread awareness on the issue.”

An open discussion was held with stakeholders, including village Nambardars, religious leaders, CDPOsa and anganwadi workers, to talk about the real issues on the ground, the challenges they face and possible solutions. Ashraf Ali Barcha, President of Anjuman Imamia, said, “Awareness is key. We need to educate people first and once they understand the legal frameworks of child marriage, they will more likely come forward and report such issues.”

Participants at the programme on Child Marriage Act in Leh (ETV Bharat)

Fariya Rafiq, Protection Officer for Non-Institutional Care, presented a brief session on the role of the District Child Protection Unit in implementing child protection mechanisms and responding to cases of child marriage.

She added, “This is the first time we are organising an awareness programme on child marriage in Leh. All stakeholders, including Nambardars, religious heads, CDPOs, and Anganwadi workers, are present today. Our main objective is to involve them and collect data based on their observations at the grassroots level to understand whether child marriage is taking place in Ladakh or not. While it is often said that child marriage is not prevalent in Leh — and many may agree with that — through this programme, we learned that it does exist in some remote pockets of the district. More importantly, the discussions also helped us understand the reporting mechanisms in place, how such cases are reported, and the crucial role that Anganwadi workers are playing on the ground.”

She continued, “We come across pre-wedlock pregnancy cases that often go unreported. This programme was very beneficial for us, as the District Child Protection Unit got valuable insights into how we can strengthen the child protection system. I hope we continue to organise such programmes in the future. We regularly conduct awareness campaigns and visit remote areas, where we not only come across cases of child marriage but also child labour, school dropouts, and out-of-wedlock pregnancies. Going forward, we will continue to work on these critical issues to ensure better protection and support for children.”

Tsering Youtol, CDPO Leh, said, “The Child Welfare Committee should visit villages to raise awareness by involving Nambardars, local members, and parents. Unless we create awareness at the grassroots level, it won’t have any real impact on the ground.”

The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by Tsering Angchuk, a member of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). He said, “I am a retired teacher, and I decided to dedicate my time to child welfare, which led me to join the CWC about 2–3 months ago. It was only after working with the committee that I truly understood the scope of its work. All the government schemes are well-intentioned—now it's up to us to ensure they are effectively implemented on the ground.”