Bhubaneswar: In a concerted effort to support the state's goal of becoming child marriage-free by 2030, the Odisha police have tasked Ama Police Samitis—community policing committees operating at police station levels—with identifying children vulnerable to this social evil in five western districts that continue to report high incidence of the practice.
Guidelines Issued for Western Odisha Districts
The northern range of Odisha police issued comprehensive guidelines this week, directing police stations in Sambalpur, Bargarh, Balangir, Jharsuguda and Subarnapur districts to actively involve Ama Police Samitis in preventing child marriage and other crimes against children.
Key Responsibilities of Ama Police Samitis
Under the new guidelines, a primary responsibility assigned to these committees is the preparation and regular updating of a database of vulnerable children in their respective villages. The samitis have also been instructed to maintain marriage-monitoring registers that record details of all weddings in villages, including names and ages of the bride and groom, their parents, and dates of birth and marriage. This measure aims to help authorities detect and prevent underage marriages.
Regular Meetings and Community Involvement
The inspectors in charge (IICs) of police stations in the five districts have been directed to ensure that Ama Police Samitis convene at least once every fortnight, with adolescent empowerment and prevention of child marriage on the agenda. To broaden community participation, police have instructed IICs to involve traditional leaders, peer educators such as Sakhi Sahelis and Sakha Bandhus, and frontline workers in planning and implementing child protection activities. The meetings may also include representatives from gram panchayat-level child protection committees, gaon kalyan samitis, panchayati raj institutions, self-help groups, and school management committees.
Formation of District-Level Core Committees
To ensure coordinated action against child marriage, Odisha police have directed the formation of district-level core committees headed by the respective superintendents of police (SPs) in the five western districts. These committees will bring together key stakeholders from various government departments and child protection agencies, including the district social welfare officer, child protection unit, child welfare committee, Childline, and other civil society organisations.
Review and Monitoring Mechanisms
According to the guidelines, the core committee will meet once every two months at the SP’s office to review ongoing activities, assess progress, and formulate future action plans. These meetings are expected to provide a platform for systematic monitoring of interventions aimed at reducing child marriage and improving child protection mechanisms.
Data-Driven Approach
The guidelines cite National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) data showing that 20.5% of girls in Odisha were married before reaching adulthood, with prevalence particularly high in tribal-dominated and western districts. While the incidence declined by 1.9 percentage points in NFHS-6, the survey indicates that child marriage persists in several tribal and western Odisha districts, where migration and child labour remain significant concerns.
Child-Friendly Villages Initiative
Further, each police station has been asked to identify at least five villages for development as child-friendly villages, aiming to create safer environments for children and reduce vulnerabilities to early marriage.
