In a District Where Half the Girls Become Brides, This IAS Officer Rescued 100 From Child Marriage

When 10 villages in Tripura’s Sepahijala village recently received “Child Marriage-Free” certification, the celebrations looked different from a usual community gathering. Parents, teachers, and children came together not for a wedding, but to mark girls staying in school and continuing their education.

For IAS officer Siddharth Shiv Jaiswal, who took charge as District Collector in July 2024, this was a glimpse of the future he hopes to see across the district. Behind the celebrations lies a harsh reality: according to the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5), 51 percent of girls in Sepahijala are married before the age of 18, and 26 percent become mothers in their teens.

For Jaiswal, the statistics were not just numbers. “It was deeply distressing to see how normalised this had become,” Jaiswal recalls. “Every girl lost to early marriage is a missed opportunity — not just for her but for the nation.”

The birth of a mission

A doctor by training, Jaiswal had served in the National Health Mission during the COVID-19 pandemic, where he first noticed how early marriage and teenage pregnancy were quietly shaping public health outcomes. Later, as Director in the Social Welfare Department, he worked closely on cases of child rights violations, which gave him a deeper understanding of how entrenched these practices were.

But in Sepahijala, the numbers turned into faces. During voter verification drives and village visits, Jaiswal met girls who should have been in classrooms but were instead preparing for marriage. Some, barely in their teens, were already mothers. 

Jaiswal points out that Sepahijala’s diversity makes the challenge even more complex. “There are tribal-dominated pockets and minority-heavy areas, each with distinct social norms. But across these communities, one alarming pattern cut across: the prevalence of child marriage and teenage pregnancy.” 

Soon, field assessments by his team revealed an even more disturbing pattern: girls as young as 13 were giving birth. This wasn’t just a health emergency — it was a humanitarian and developmental crisis.

“These young girls were losing their futures before they even began,” he says. “If we don’t act now, our demographic dividend will become a demographic burden.”

For Jaiswal, the concern ran deeper than numbers. As a doctor, he had studied how child marriage fuels a cycle of malnutrition, infant mortality, and poor maternal health. He had also seen how cultural practices — like women eating last in the household — weakened nutrition for mothers and children alike.

He reflects, “To see a child, barely a teenager, bearing the responsibilities of motherhood is unsettling. It deprives her of opportunities, and it deprives society of her potential. We needed a district-specific response, something bold and deeply rooted in ground reality.”

And with that urgency in mind, ‘Mission Sankalp’ was born.

Bringing everyone at the table

Jaiswal and his team realised that piecemeal measures would not work in Sepahijala. The district needed everyone on the same side. So, he set up a district-wide platform led by the District Magistrate so that all key players worked together. 

Health officials focused on maternal care, social welfare officers enforced child protection laws, and child welfare committees looked after rehabilitation. Police and sub-divisional magistrates took on legal duties as child marriage prohibition officers, while NGOs, grassroots workers, and elected village representatives built trust in communities. Academics from Tripura University added data-driven insights, and local media spread awareness.

“We stopped working in silos,” Jaiswal says. “Through the District Magistrate’s coordination powers, we were able to unite different departments and overcome barriers.”

For Jaiswal, the urgency of this mission was never abstract — it lived in the stories of girls like Sampa.

A rescue that showed what was at stake

Sampa (name changed), a 14-year-old from Uttar Bajapur, was on the brink of being married to a 32-year-old man. A Class 7 student, she had dreams of studying further, but her family’s financial struggles and social pressures pushed her toward a different fate.

On 10 July 2025, one of her teachers noticed signs of the impending marriage and called Childline. Acting swiftly, a rescue team of district officials and local police reached her home and intervened before the wedding could be solemnised.

“I was rescued a day before the wedding,” Sampa recalls. “When the rescue team came, I felt relieved, and I told them I was being married without my consent.”

After the rescue, she was taken first to the One-Stop Centre in Bishramganj (which provides medical, legal, and psychological support to women in distress) and later to the Sonamura SC Girls Hostel. Her parents signed an undertaking before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), promising to delay her marriage so that she could continue her education.

“At home, I could not study or play much,” she says. “Here in the hostel, I get three meals on time, I can study, and I can play kho kho. I especially enjoy Bangla. Now I want to become a teacher when I grow up.”

Stories like Sampa’s underline why Mission Sankalp had to be bold and urgent — and why every strategy had to look beyond quick fixes.

Tackling the problem on every front

At its core, Mission Sankalp focused on three issues that were deeply connected — child marriage, teenage pregnancy, and drug abuse.

“These problems don’t exist in isolation,” Jaiswal explains. “Drug abuse can be both a cause and consequence of early marriage or pregnancy. So we chose focus over fragmentation.”

To tackle them, the mission was built on a series of innovative strategies.

1. Changing mindsets

The first battle was for minds. Through Behaviour Change Communication (BCC), Village Health and Nutrition Days became platforms for discussion. Schools wove the issue into everyday lessons, while entire communities began taking public pledges to end child marriage.

BCC is an approach that uses communication, dialogue, and community activities to shift attitudes and promote healthier social norms.

“Collective accountability is a powerful tool,” Jaiswal says. “When an entire village promises to protect its children, it builds a moral firewall.”

2. Schools as watchdogs

Schools were turned into early warning systems. Teachers and students were trained to spread awareness and to use the 1098 Childline number. A “six-day absentee rule” was also introduced — if a student, especially a girl, missed more than six days of class, the school was required to investigate.

“Often, such absences revealed a looming or completed child marriage. The response was swift and coordinated,” Jaiswal explains.

3. Stronger enforcement

To tighten law enforcement, workshops were held for sub-divisional magistrates, police, and child protection units. Roles were clarified under the POCSO Act, the Juvenile Justice Act, and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act. Officials were reminded that failing to act could invite punishment under POCSO. 

“Even if a girl is married, any sexual activity with her is still statutory rape under the law,” Jaiswal stresses.

4. Opening opportunities

Money often drives early marriages, so Mission Sankalp worked to make education feel rewarding. Schools began offering vocational training and skill-based programmes that gave girls practical confidence about their futures. To help them stay in school, girls were also given bicycles to ease their commute and stipends for good performance.

5. Celebrating change

To motivate communities, Jaiswal introduced a unique idea — public recognition. Villages that successfully prevented child marriages for six months could be declared “child marriage-free”. Teachers, schools, and local leaders who worked hard were honoured with certificates of appreciation.

“People respond to recognition,” Jaiswal says with a smile. “It creates healthy competition and pride.”

Choices that change lives

Preventing teenage pregnancies, especially among already-married girls, became the next focus for Mission Sankalp. A list of eligible couples was drawn up, and they were counselled using the “cafeteria approach” — a unique idea that puts every contraceptive option on the table and allows couples to make their own informed choice.

Health officials even began attending weddings of legally married couples, handing over “newlywed kits” with reproductive health leaflets, contraceptive samples, and family planning information. “Even a simple leaflet at the right time can delay a pregnancy and change a life,” says Jaiswal.

Turning promises into progress

The results of Mission Sankalp are beginning to show. So far, 10 villages have earned “Aspiring Child Marriage-Free” certification by preventing all cases of child marriage for six months straight. Villages that sustain this for 12 and 24 months move into higher recognition categories, creating a healthy spirit of competition across Sepahijala.

The certification process is closely tracked. It begins with the Gram Pradhan submitting a declaration of compliance to the Block Development Officer (BDO). The BDO verifies the claim and forwards it to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), who then places it before the sub-divisional task force. If approved, the proposal is sent to the District Magistrate (DM) within a month, where the district-level task force conducts a final review before declaring a village eligible for certification.

To maintain rigour, the performance of villages is being monitored in phases, with the aim of certifying all 169 Gram Panchayats (GPs) and Village Committees (VCs) across Sepahijala. Since the mission began, more than 100 children have already been rescued from early marriage, with rehabilitation support underway to help them rebuild their lives.

The larger picture is also shifting: health facilities reporting zero deliveries among under-18 girls have risen from four in December 2024 to 11 by March 2025.

By 2027, the IAS officer hopes to eradicate child marriage in Sepahijala entirely — three years ahead of the global target under Sustainable Development Goal 5.3. “Mission Sankalp isn’t just another initiative to me,” Jaiswal says. “It’s personal. It’s urgent. It’s about safeguarding our future.”

All images courtesy: Sepahijala district administration.