India must adopt zero tolerance for child marriage: Minister Annapurna Devi

Don't want to miss the best from Business Standard?

Union Minister of Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi on Thursday said child marriage snatches childhood away from daughters and pushes them towards early maternity and "unimaginable suffering".

She was speaking at the launch of a '100-day Intensive Awareness Campaign for a Child Marriage Free Bharat', where she stressed that the country must adopt "zero tolerance" towards child marriage.

The minister urged states, civil society groups, and community leaders to unite with an "unwavering commitment" to eliminate the practice.

She said India had made "historic progress", but that far more remained to be done.

"Even one child marriage is unacceptable for us," she said.

Annapurna Devi traced the journey from the Sarda Act, 1929 to the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, noting that the legal framework had become stronger over the decades, yet harmful social norms persisted.

"Child marriage is not just a violation of the law. It takes away a daughter's childhood and pushes her towards early maternity and unimaginable suffering," she said.

She highlighted the improvements due to the government initiatives such as 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao', pointing to rising sex ratios and higher enrolment of girls in secondary and higher education.

"Today, our daughters are changing faster than ever before. Whether in sports, defence, mining or space, they are creating new history," the minister noted.

During the event, grassroots NGOs and civil society groups shared first-hand stories from the ground, recounting how community counselling sessions, school interventions, and door-to-door campaigns had successfully prevented dozens of child marriages in high-risk districts.

Several representatives described growing public vigilance, with many families now approaching child marriage prohibition officers (CMPOs) directly when faced with pressure from community members or relatives.

Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Anil Malik, underlined that laws alone cannot eradicate the practice.

Calling child marriage "a crime against humanity", he recalled that about 47% of marriages in India involved minors two decades ago, a figure that had fallen sharply according to the latest Sample Registration System data.

"Making an activity criminal does not stop the activity," he cautioned.

"If you cannot intervene yourself, inform a CMPO. Awareness, reporting, and collective action are all welcome," he said.

Malik explained that more than 38,000 CMPOs were now registered on the national portal, which is available in 22 languages and allows citizens to report violations or take a digital pledge.

Last year, over 22 lakh individuals and organisations interacted with the portal, and more than 50,000 people formally pledged to prevent child marriage.

The minister also highlighted the stories of several young champions who have inspired change in their communities.

Among them were Roshni Parveen from Bihar, a survivor of child marriage and domestic violence who has helped rescue many girls; Shilu from Odisha, a chemical engineering diploma student working actively to stop underage marriages in her area; and Jyotsana Akhtar from Tripura, who persuaded her village to collectively oppose the practice.

She also noted the progress of the Surajpur district in Chhattisgarh, where 75 panchayats have reported no child marriages for two consecutive years, saying, "If one district can achieve this, the entire nation can become child marriage free."  The ongoing 100-day campaign runs from November 27 to March 8 and includes a nationwide sequence of school-based competitions, community awareness drives, engagement with faith leaders, and mobilisation of gram panchayats and municipal wards to pass resolutions declaring their areas child-marriage-free.

The initiative is being implemented through a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach, with close coordination among the Ministries of Health, Education, Panchayati Raj, Rural Development, and others, officials said.

Malik said the campaign would conclude ceremonially on International Women's Day next year, although the movement itself would continue beyond that date.