16% of young women in Telangana married before 18: Survey
These findings are part of the preliminary results from the 'Young Lives Round 7 Survey (2023-24)', unveiled on Friday by Women and Child Welfare Minister Dansari Anasuya, alias Seethakka, at the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS) in Hyderabad.
The survey, which began in 2002, tracks 12,000 children in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam to examine long-term trends in child poverty. In India, it focuses on the undivided Andhra Pradesh, covering 20 mandals — 13 in Andhra Pradesh and 7 in Telangana. The Telangana districts included in the latest round are Karimnagar, Bhupalpally, Nagarkurnool, Mahbubnagar, Jogulamba Gadwal and Hyderabad, with 948 participants across 33 villages.
As of the 2023-24 round, the Younger Cohort participants are now 22-years-old, while members of the Older Cohort — who were eight years old at the start of the study — are now 29.
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The Hindu
19-06-2025
- The Hindu
A childhood snatched, a future denied
V. Haritha isn't sure how old she was when she got married. 'I was just 14, maybe,' she says, adjusting a child on her hip while two more play nearby. Now 18, she is a mother of three, living in Gangaraju Madugula, a remote village about 120 km from Visakhapatnam, nestled in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh. The village is home to tribal communities such as the Kondhs and Porajas, listed among India's Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). Access to education, healthcare and steady income remains limited in the region, and families often make difficult decisions in the face of poverty and isolation. For many girls like Haritha, that includes getting married — and becoming mothers — while still in their teens. Standing beside her is 16-year-old S. Rupa, eight months pregnant. She married a 24-year-old man a year ago. 'My father couldn't afford to feed all of us. I am the third girl. He had no choice,' she explains with practiced calm. Teenage girls like Haritha and Rupa, married young and already mothers, are not exceptions in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Their stories are part of a larger trend documented in the Round Seven of the Work and Family Lives: Young Lives Survey, released in Hyderabad on May 30 this year. The study began in 2002 in the then-undivided Andhra Pradesh, selected as one of four global sites alongside Ethiopia, Peru and Vietnam. 'The State was chosen because of its early push to economic reforms — initiatives such as Vision 2020 and privatisation made it an ideal setting to study how liberalisation impacted children over time,' says E. Revathi, director of the Centre for Economic and Social Studies and lead investigator of the study in India. Using a longitudinal, mixed-methods approach, the study tracked 2,000 one-year-olds and 1,000 eight-year-olds across 20 sentinel sites — urban and rural clusters selected based on development indicators. Over 23 years, researchers followed these children across Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telangana, documenting how they grew up, studied, worked, got married and had children. While some indicators improved, one pattern remained stubbornly visible: the prevalence of early marriage and teenage pregnancies. One of those tracked was Kamakshi, a girl from the Goya tribal community in Mahbubnagar, Telangana. She was just 11 when she was married off to a 16-year-old relative. Her parents, struggling with poverty and homelessness, saw marriage as a way to reduce their burden. 'She was eight when we first met her in 2002,' recalls P. Prudhvikar Reddy, one of the field researchers. 'By our second visit in 2006, she was already married. And by 2013, she was raising three children.' Now 29, Kamakshi is a grandmother. One of her daughters was married before she turned 18; another, who is out of school, lives with a relative in Jogulamba Gadwal. 'I could not leave her alone at home while I went to work,' says Kamakshi, who makes a living through daily wage work, by frequenting the labour addas of Chandrayangutta, Hyderabad — just 100 km from Mahbubnagar. In forest-fringed Chittoor of Andhra Pradesh, a Scheduled Tribe girl from Bangarupalem recounts her troubled marriage to a 28-year-old daily wage labourer, now working near Tamil Nadu border. In October 2023, local police and activists intervened to stop her child marriage. The families agreed to delay it until she turned 18. 'But just two days later, my father took me to a temple of our village goddess, near Kolar in Karnataka. The wedding was conducted in the presence of a few relatives. From there, I was taken to Bengaluru, where I worked as a housemaid in a posh locality while my husband took up a job as a truck driver,' she shares. Within a month, she got pregnant. After she gave birth to a girl, her husband vanished without a word. She waited three months before returning to her parents' home in Chittoor. 'He came back a few months ago, promising he will never abandon us again. But I know, he is not just a drunkard but also a liar,' she says, her laughter tinged with resignation. In the Bangarupalem-Palamaner belt, considered a hotspot for child marriage, the Rural Organisation for Poverty Eradication Services (ROPES), a 35-year-old NGO, has intervened in several cases. 'Just in the last couple of years, we have stopped over 200 child marriages in these two mandals. The numbers are slowly falling compared to previous decades, but the threat still looms in silence,' says K. Dhanasekharan, chairman of the NGO. Data doesn't lie While the National Family Health Survey (2019-20) noted a modest drop in teenage pregnancies — from 8% to 7% — the Young Lives study painted a starker picture. In Telangana alone, 20% of women were married before the age of 18, and 28% had a child before they turned 19. Early marriage and motherhood continue to limit educational and economic prospects, though the overall trend is declining, note researchers. Among the younger cohort tracked by the study, 13% were married before 18 whereas 18% had become mothers by 19. The figures were higher among the older cohort (25% and 27%, respectively), suggesting gradual improvement over time. Some of that change is reflected in the trajectory of K. Mona, 31, who lives in a packed slum in northwest Hyderabad. A participant in the Young Lives study since 2002, Mona was just eight when her father died. With no government school nearby and her mother unable to afford private fees, her education ended in Class V. While her mother worked long hours as a domestic worker — leaving at 10 a.m. and returning after a 12-hour shift — Mona stayed home, read the Bible and dabbled in stitching. Her elder sisters, sent to relatives in Machilipatnam, managed to study further: one became a lecturer after completing her MBA, the other a teacher after earning a degree in engineering. Mona remained behind to help her mother and took up odd jobs, including at a local medical store, where she met her future husband, a driver. She got married at 20 and her husband, she says, remains her biggest support. With his encouragement, Mona completed her Class 10 through open schooling. 'I can read now. I understand English even if I can't speak or write. I help my children with their homework,' she says with quiet pride. Her seven-year-old son studies in a private school and wants to join the Army; her five-year-old daughter, who goes to the neighbourhood Anganwadi school, dreams of becoming a doctor. Sometimes, Mona wonders what her life might have been. 'If my father had lived, if there had been a school nearby... things would have been different,' she says, tears welling up. 'My sisters got chances that I didn't. It was not anyone's fault — just the place, the time, the options we had.' A different trajectory Just a few lanes away from her resides 22-year-old Jiya, another participant in the Young Lives study, enrolled when she was just a year old. Raised in the same slum as Mona, Jiya's journey has taken a different course, shaped by steady parental support, access to education and self-assured ambition. Her father, a local pastor, made it clear from the start: her education came first. Petite and poised, dressed in lavender trousers and a crisp white top, Jiya is a BSc (Mathematics) graduate from a private college in Hyderabad. Over the past few years, she has held two jobs — first at the help desk of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, then at a customer service firm in the city. As a child, she had wanted to be a teacher. By her teens, she was training to become an air hostess. She cleared two rounds of interviews with a Middle Eastern airline, only to be rejected in the final round for something as trivial as a pimple. 'It upset me, of course, but not enough to make me give up,' she says. She took up the help desk job in Hyderabad anyway, travelling four km by bus every day, dressed in a blazer and formals. 'I liked the work, but the pay — ₹17,000 a month — and the atmosphere weren't great. The men passed uncomfortable comments,' she says. With her parents' support, she chose to walk away and pursue higher studies instead. She continued her open degree alongside a year of air hostess training and later joined a call centre, earning over ₹20,000. But the night shifts triggered persistent migraines, forcing her to quit last month. Now, Jiya is preparing to join an IT firm. Marriage isn't on her mind just yet. 'Maybe in a few years,' she shrugs. 'If I find someone I want to share my life with, I will think about it. But for now, I am focused on work and stability.' Growth on paper, gaps on ground One of the key factors contributing to the shift in social practices, particularly the delay in early marriages, has been the growing presence of social welfare residential schools across both States. Andhra Pradesh currently has over 590 such schools under the Tribal Welfare Department; Telangana has 158. These fully residential institutions offer free meals, three times a day, along with education, which has encouraged parents from tribal and low-income communities to send their children, especially girls, to school. 'By the time a student completes school here, they are around 17 years old. That alone has significantly reduced the likelihood of marriage before 18,' says an official from the Andhra Pradesh Tribal Welfare Department. Economic indicators in both States show impressive growth. Andhra Pradesh recorded a Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) growth of 12.94% in 2024, with balanced gains across agriculture, industry and services. Telangana followed with a GSDP growth of 10.1%, driven largely by industry and IT services. Yet, this economic momentum hasn't resulted in proportionate investment in social sectors. And until social development keeps pace with economic growth, the burden of inequality will continue to fall on the most vulnerable — young girls at the margins.
Hans India
09-06-2025
- Hans India
Seethakka Directs Completion of Indira Mahila Shakti Bhavans by November; Emphasizes Women Empowerment and School Readiness
Gadwal: Telangana State Minister for Panchayati Raj and Rural Development, Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka), has directed that the ongoing construction of the newly proposed Indira Mahila Shakti Bhavans in various districts must be completed by November this year. On Monday, Minister Seethakka, along with C.S. Ramakrishna Rao, held a video conference with district collectors from Hyderabad to review the progress of the Badi Bata (School Enrollment Drive) and Indira Mahila Shakti programs. During the review, Minister Seethakka stated that although foundation stones for the Indira Mahila Shakti Bhavans were laid by the Hon'ble Chief Minister in November last year, the progress in many districts has not met expectations. She instructed Panchayati Raj department engineers to coordinate effectively and ensure the timely completion of construction within the stipulated deadline. The Minister also expressed her appreciation to all those who contributed to the rapid completion of school uniform stitching for children studying in government schools through the efforts of women's self-help groups. She emphasized that, as part of the school reopening celebrations on June 12, school uniforms and textbooks should be distributed to students in a festive atmosphere. Seethakka also instructed officials to prioritize sanitation and cleanliness around schools as part of the reopening. She directed that wild shrubs be fully cleared, and rainwater stagnation be avoided around school premises to maintain hygiene. Highlighting the government's broader vision under the leadership of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, the Minister stated that numerous initiatives are being taken up to empower one crore women and help them become financially self-reliant. As part of this initiative, petrol pumps are being established through women's groups. She noted that suitable sites must be identified for setting up these fuel stations, and each station has the potential to benefit at least 10 families. The Minister further revealed that steps are being taken to establish rice mills, solar power generation plants, and to operate rental buses for RTC through women's groups. She stressed the importance of forming new women's groups, particularly in rural and tribal areas, and raising awareness about the benefits of these groups, especially in poverty-stricken regions. Minister Seethakka instructed collectors to expedite efforts to set up solar power generation units through women's groups, reiterating the government's commitment to sustainable development and women empowerment. District Collector's Report Jogulamba Gadwal District Collector B.M. Santhosh, during the video conference, reported that out of the required 52,000 school uniforms for students, 42,000 have already been stitched and are ready for distribution. The remaining 10,000 uniforms will be completed within two days, ensuring their availability along with textbooks on June 12. Regarding the Indira Mahila Shakti Bhavan construction, the Collector informed that the work has progressed up to the basement level and will be fully completed by the end of November. In addition, two separate sites have been identified for setting up petrol pumps to be managed by women's self-help groups. A suitable location will be finalized shortly, and construction will begin thereafter. As part of the Badi Bata campaign, the Collector stated that door-to-door awareness is being created to promote enrollment in government schools. Information is being disseminated about facilities offered, including foundational education using AI tools, digital classrooms, and visible improvements in school infrastructure. These efforts aim to boost admissions and enhance public trust in the government school system. Participants in the Video Conference Additional District Collector Narsinga Rao, District Welfare Officer Sunanda, and other officials from various departments also participated in the conference.
Hans India
05-06-2025
- Hans India
Telangana: Minister Seethakka unveils new initiatives for Women and Child Welfare
Dhanasari Anasuya Seethakka, the Women and Child Welfare Minister, announced at the conclusion of a two-day brainstorming conference that numerous innovative ideas have emerged to enhance the welfare of women and children. The minister described the event as a success and confirmed plans to organise similar conferences every three months to achieve significant goals by engaging local districts. Minister Seethakka highlighted the valuable suggestions made by voluntary organisations and intellectuals dedicated to women and child welfare. He announced the establishment of an advisory committee comprising experts to further bolster services provided by the department. In a bid to enhance the safety of girls, the minister introduced the formation of "friendship committees," which will function as self-protection teams. Anganwadi teachers will educate girls on concepts of good touch and bad touch, and the government will also connect Anganwadi centres with voluntary organisations focused on the safety of women and girls. Addressing the alarming issue of abandoned newborns, the minister expressed his concern over babies being discarded in hazardous locations. He proposed setting up cradles to provide a safe alternative for those who might otherwise be abandoned. Minister Seethakka lamented the lack of adoption of the rules regarding the Prevention of Child Marriage Act in Telangana, even after ten years of the state's formation, and assured that these rules would be implemented promptly. He stressed the importance of raising awareness about the detrimental effects of child marriage in village assemblies and governmental programmes. Recalling the beginnings of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) in Telangana, the minister reiterated the need to modernise Anganwadi services, promising that this year, 1,000 Anganwadi centres would receive dedicated buildings. He urged district collectors to identify suitable locations for these centres. Highlighting the pivotal role of Anganwadi staff in shaping the future of the country, Minister Seethakka mandated regular meetings between Anganwadi staff and local villagers every Friday, echoing a previous initiative in Karimnagar, and emphasised the need to increase admissions and attendance at these centres. The minister also announced the formation of girl protection teams to ensure the safety and self-defence of girls, warning that any harassment would lead to severe consequences for offenders. He stressed the importance of educating boys on the repercussions of inappropriate behaviour towards girls, reinforcing a zero-tolerance stance on harassment.
