Child marriage crackdown in Assam: Pregnant teens avoid hospital, resort to abortion fearing arrests

Assam Police launched a crackdown on child marriages on February 3 and arrested thousands

With the Assam government coming down strong on child marriages and arresting over 2,700 people as of Friday for violations in this regard, fear and apprehension have gripped the pregnant teenagers in the state.

With their husbands and fathers either absconding or arrested, expecting mothers in their teens, overcome by fear, are backing away from receiving proper medical attention. Few of the pregnant teenagers have even gone incommunicado with the ASHA workers in their villages fearing action.

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Dr Najirul Islam, Superintendent at Barpeta Civil Hospital, has made a startling observation that there has been a decline in the number of women frequenting the hospital. He told IE that the young women fear police and subsequent arrests if these cases are reported. "We used to have a long queue of around 50 women every day. Now, that has come down to 15-20,” he added.

Dr Abu Sharif Akanda, Senior Medical and Health Officer at Doboka Community Health Centre, told IE that there have been instances of expecting teenagers coming up to him asking to have abortions fearing that the baby might eventually serve as some sort of evidence against them.

Many hospitals and health centers have also stopped reporting fresh teenage pregnancies. What’s alarming is that many have resorted to home births and abortion pills by skipping scheduled doctors’ appointments and routine check-ups.

In one shocking incident, a 17-year-old pregnant girl hailing from Assam’s Bongaigaon district died after developing serious complications following an attempted home delivery. The police arrested five people including the girl’s father, husband and father-in-law under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.

Also Read | Securing future of child brides vital amid Assam's crackdown: Experts

Dr Paresh Rai, Joint Director of Health, Bongaigaon was quoted as saying by India Today that the girl died due to postpartum hemorrhage and that further details can be understood only after analysing the post-mortem report.

In Barpeta, a district with one of highest arrest numbers in the state, pregnant girls are being locked away fearing police, reported Scroll.

According to the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) portal data shared by the CM, there were 6,20,867 registered pregnant women in 2022. Out of the total pregnancies, 1,04,264 women were 19 years or less, comprising 16.79 per cent of the expecting mothers.

Assam Police launched a crackdown on child marriage on February 3 after CM Himanta Biswa Sarma called for action, citing government reports that nearly 17 per cent of over 6.2 lakh pregnant women in Assam last year were teenagers. A report by The Indian Express reveals that Hojai has the highest number of arrests, 216.