| 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
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The Government of Madhya Pradesh is the first in the country to conceive, formulate and fund a dedicated programme against child marriage the Lado campaign, launched by February 2013 aims at eradicating child marriages in a mission mode for the entire year on sustained basis in the entire state to bring about perceptible systemic changes in the mindset of the community towards child marriage of both boys and giels by establishing dialogue with citizens and driving the PCMA 2006.Lado Campaign has several innovative features. It talks about Prohibition as well as prevention, involves administration as well as citizens’, involves service providers as well as children and media as change makers.
The unique feature of Lado is :- Mission Mode, strengthening and capacity building of Core Members , identification and sensitization of critical players/ service providers like barbers, priests, tent house owners, horse providers, caterers, printing press etc, citizens’ involvement is the most significant feature of the campaign, Development of children as Brand Ambassadors for developing sustained long term intergenerational equity. , Creating Employment opportunities for economic empowerment, Timely Prevention before event through counselling, Inter departmental convergence at grass root and Online Monitoring for Tracking status of child marriage
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| 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
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The initiative was conceptualized by Directorate of Women Empowerment Department Women and child Development. Firstly visualized the need of taking a special drive on mission mode for bringing about perceptible systemic changes in the mindset of the community towards disadvantages of child marriage. It was felt that social evils like child marriages, violence etc. are closely associated with intra & interpersonal behavior of the community and can be resolved or eradicated by sensitizing and changing the patriarchal mindset. There is no other solution except changing the communities’ behavior. In fact, the rules and acts framed were useful only if the incidence of child marriages are brought to the notice of the administration. The issue of child marriage can be addressed by making the community aware of the consequences it has on children and their future. If the community is involved then the incidents of child marriages are stopped but also can be effectively prevented by creating a preventive environment.
A complete five year sustainable action plan with integrated annual and monthly action plan have been design to provide opportunity to implementers to incorporate area specific and custom specific programmes.
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| 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
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The Lado has been planned where a complete year sustained action plan with integrated annual and monthly action plan is shared with all implementers. The monthly interventions have been planned to provide opportunity to implementers to incorporate area specific and custom specific programmes. The inter departmental convergence has been done at grass root level so that the coverage will be more and the result will be more effective and it has worked out in the best possible way where many child marriages have been stopped and saved the life of a girl and boy child. Apart from this many IEC [Information Education and Communication] practices have been initiated. The promotional campaigns have been done to make the things transparent towards stopping child marriage. These campaigns includes hoarding, banners, posters, wall paintings, signature campaigns, street plays, advertisements , appeals, road rallies, pamphlets, mobile vehicles (ladoraths), oath taking etc. The objectives was to make people educate, informed and educate about effect of early child marriage and how it further causes to boy and girl child physically, mentally and socially. The other objective is make people aware about rights and violation of rights of a human being and also about the result of doing this social evil and how this act can bring legal concern for all those associated people. Therefore, the community will understand and come forward to support this efforts of government. These campaigns also helped people to know the reason for not getting married before age which can further bring physically issues. These were also an effort to bringing about change in thinking process and perception by citizen engagement and dialogue. The school teachers, Sarpanch ji, Children, Religious leaders, Aanganwadi/Asha (Health) workers, Barbers, Priests, Tent-house and Printing Press owners, Horse providers, Caterers from the community have selected as a core member and service provider. With this capacity building of core members/service providers have been done which has helped administration in extending its outreach by accessing first-hand information on prospective child marriages, timely prevention through counseling/onsite meetings, training and sensitization of citizens to bring about change in thinking and perception about marrying their children at the right age.
Lado abhiyan is highly cost effective. The total expenditure of INR 16.80 Millions has been made till Dec 2016, covering the 4.01 million population, Per person expenditure on community sensitisation is only INR 3.60.
Government of Madhya Pradesh open the separate budget line for Lado campaign area in 2015, and the campaign is fully State Government Funded.
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| 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
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The Administrative structure from Top to bottom and viz a viz [State team, District team, DWEO, Block team, Ward/Village (AWW/Core members/Service providers/School Authorities/Panchayat members) were involved in the design of the initiative and its implementation. The strategy, plan design and concept initiated at state level with state team where Minister along with different officers of Directorate of Women Empowerment settle down together and discuss about the structure, design, plan and strategy to achieve objectives. Later it moved ahead with the District team where this all plan, design and strategy shared with all stakeholders and it moves accordingly to bottom level staffs. They were the main stakeholders who worked on the design at each level and provided the better plan with smart strategies to get it done in the given timeline.
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| 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
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With in the three year of implementation Lado has proved to be a successful model of citizen centric governance. The entire campaign was build upon enhancing of core members, service providers and the community; mentoring and nurturing children as change agents for intergenerational equity. Lado is now owned by sensitized / highly empowered community for advocacy of eradication of child marriages. Over 40 lacs citizens have been directly trained or sensitized under the campaign across 51 Districts all 52 thousand villages through 99,176 workshops, 52,310 Training programmes, 4000 street plays Jingle/shows and 40,000 rallies. Around 5.10 lacs core members , Priest, Barbers, Religious head, Horse providers, Printers, Caterers , Tents-House and Marriage Band members, and 1554 children as brand ambassadors in villages and wards across the state and now actively involved in Lado campaign
The “counseling before marriage” intervention initiative by Department of Women Empowerment has been the biggest achievement which bagged 82034 counseling before marriage event . And it helped to verify the age before marriage. 3789 child marriage are prevented on the eve at the time of marriage, Only 163 FIRs were registered indicating increase awareness and accountability in citizens, and the big output is 32 children took the courageous step of getting their marriages declared null and void with the help of core members and administration .
Lado campaign has been successful in preventing child marriages. The recent National Family Health Survey(NFHS) 2015-16 shows a remarkable decline of 43.3% from the previous NFHS 3 survey in 2005-06. According to NFHS 4 only 30% marriage were found as compared to 53% in NFHS 3. The impact of Lado campaign is clearly visible when NFHS 4 is compared with the Annual Health Survey (AHS) data 2012-13 on child marriages. Lado campaign was initiated in 2013 when child marriage rate of Madhya Pradesh was registered at 42% according to AHS data. In just less than three years of implementation of Lado campaign a sustainable decline of 28.57 has been observed in the state when compared with recent NFHS 4
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| 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
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In Madhya Pradesh child marriage is a widely prevalent social evil across every caste, culture, religion, region with extensive regional, cultural and religious variation.
. child marriages occur due to intra and interpersonal behavior of the community and socio- customary practices prevalent in the society, so deeply rooted in system that only administrative/legal measures could not serve the purpose. The community was not aware about the consequences of early marriage and provisions of PCMA2006 and there was no system put in place for communicated/disseminated among citizens. Administrative actions taken against the families where child marriages were taking place often led to traumatic situations.
Patriarchy- Campaign is useful in changing the patriarchal mindset, is one of the prime challenge operating at all levels across globe reinforcing subordination of women in the name of care, protection and welfare making them dependent on men throughout their lives.
Social Customs - These customs and practices are deeply rooted in different societal structures from generations. Strategy used in the implementation of Lado campaign has proved to be path breaking an eye opener for the opinion makers of various communities. School children developed as Brand Ambassadors would be change makers within their communities
Social Evils -Evils are inculcated by families through practice, as an integral part of their society so that future generations follow the same practice. The interventions used in Lado campaign could be used as an appropriate tool to bring about change in mindset of existing generation, sensitizing new generations.
Addressing Crimes and gender inequalities -Crimes against women and increased gender inequalities are challenges which almost every country faces. The campaign can address the same in an effective manner.
Strengthening Education and other Human Development Indicators -Campaign can help reduce school dropouts, also useful in improving various development indicators of nations.
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