Child Marriage In India

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

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

Child marriage cases surged six-fold in 2023, Assam leads with 90%: NCRB

Cases registered under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act jumped six times in 2023 compared to the previous year, with Assam alone accounting for nearly 90 per cent of the total cases, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data. The NCRB data also revealed that 16,737 girls and 129 boys were kidnapped or abducted "for marriage" in 2023. The report further shows that 6,038 cases were filed under the Act in 2023, a sharp rise from 1,002 cases in 2022 and 1,050 in 2021. Among these, Assam reported 5,267 cases, making it the state with the highest number of cases. Other states with higher figures in the list include Tamil Nadu (174), Karnataka (145) and West Bengal (118). Several states and Union Territories such as Chhattisgarh, Nagaland, Ladakh and Lakshadweep reported no cases under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act during the year. The Act, enacted in 2006, prohibits marriage of girls below the age of 18 and boys below 21, and criminalises those who .

Assam surpasses national average in decline in child marriages: Report

Assam has recorded a sharp decline in the number of child marriages, surpassing the national average, as per a report of a survey carried out by a non-governmental organisation in five states. Legal deterrence, including police complaints and arrests, was identified as among the most effective tools in eliminating child marriage, the report based on the period April 2022 to March 2025 said. The report, 'Tipping Point to Zero: Evidence Towards a Child Marriage Free India', released recently at a side event at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, was prepared by the Centre for Legal Action and Behaviour Change for Children (C-LAB), an initiative of NGO Just Rights for Children (JRC) partner India Child Protection. The report said Assam is leading the nation with the steepest decline in child marriage, recording an 84 per cent drop in cases among girls and a 91 per cent reduction among boys in the last three years. It said that at the national level, child marriages declin

Despite ban, girl child marriage persists, villages drive higher share

Girl child marriage in total weddings remained above two per cent in the country, barring in Covid-hit year (2020)

Tripura considering making marriage registration mandatory: CM Manik Saha

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has said the state government is considering making marriage registration mandatory for all social weddings in a bid to curb child marriage in the state. According to 2020 data from the state's Social Education and Social Welfare Department, Tripura ranks third in India in child marriages after West Bengal and Bihar. "The government is contemplating preventing child marriage by introducing pre-marriage registration for social marriages. We will also explore necessary legal provisions to implement this. For this, submission of birth certificates will be made mandatory," Saha said while addressing a government programme in Gandhigram, West Tripura, on Thursday. Saha said that if birth certificates are made a provision for marriage registration, the ages of the boys and girls will automatically come to light. Girls should be at least 18 years old and boys at least 21 years old for social marriage under the existing legislation, he added. Urging peop

Odisha reports 3 child marriages daily, Nabarangpur dist leads: Govt data

Odisha has reported at least three such cases every day during the last six years, despite several initiatives taken by the administration, according to government data. Activists working in this field attribute tribal practice, dowry, migration of labourer families and parents' fear that daughters may elope to this startling figure. The data reveals that 8,159 child marriages have taken place across Odisha from 2019 to February 2025. Of them, 1,347 cases have been reported from Nabarangpur, the highest among all 30 districts of Odisha during that period. While Ganjam district is in the second spot with 966 cases, Koraput comes next with 636. It was followed by Mayurbhanj (594), Rayagada (408), Balasore (361), Keonjhar (328), Kandhamal (308) and Nayagarh (308). The lowest of 57 such instances have been found in Jharsuguda district in those six years. Social activist Namrata Chadha said, Child marriage cannot be fully stopped overnight. We have to create such an environment and soc

Child marriage prevention cannot be undermined by personal laws: SC

Authorities should focus on preventing child marriages and protecting vulnerable minors, with penalising offenders being a last resort: Supreme Court

NCPCR finds over 1.1 mn children at risk of child marriage, acts to prevent

The apex child rights body NCPCR on Thursday said it identified over 11 lakh children vulnerable to child marriage in 2023-24 and intervened through steps such as family counselling, school reintegration efforts, and coordination with law enforcement. In a comprehensive report, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) underscored the efforts it took under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006, through collaboration with child marriage prohibition officers (CMPOs), district authorities, and other stakeholders. More than 1.2 crore people were reached through the awareness campaigns, with Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh emerging as leaders in the fight against child marriage, the commission said. The report, which was prepared after virtual review meetings with district officials and key stakeholders, presents data on children at risk of dropping out of schools, a major factor contributing to child marriages. Uttar Pradesh, with over ..

Special drive against child marriage to be held every 6 months: CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said his government would continue its crackdown on child marriages and a special drive against the social evil would be conducted every six months. He said the director general of police (DGP) has been instructed to conduct a preliminary survey for the next round of crackdown on child marriages towards the year-end. Sarma's comments come after an NGO report on Wednesday maintained that the state government's action against child marriage has led to a decline in the number of such cases. "Our campaign and tough action against child marriage will continue. Every six months a special drive will be conducted, and the DGP has been instructed to conduct a preliminary survey for the next crackdown on child marriages in November-December this year," the CM said in a video message on Wednesday evening. Initially, some people were "not happy with the crackdown against child marriages, but now people are preventing the social evil, even in minority ..

Assam announces monthly stipend to curb child marriage, support education

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday announced that his government would provide monthly stipends to all girl students from class 11 to post-graduation over the next five years, aiming to prevent child marriages. Addressing a press conference, Sarma said the scheme, 'Nijut Moina', was approved by the cabinet, which estimated that Rs 1,500 crore would be required in five years to give the incentives to around 10 lakh girls. "A married girl will not get the benefit. The only exception will be those married girls who are enrolled in PG courses, they will also benefit," he said. The sole aim of this scheme is to delay the marriage of a girl so that she can be financially independent and start earning for herself and her family, Sarma said. "The scheme will increase the gross enrollment ratio of girls substantially," he asserted. All girls studying in classes 11 and 12 will get Rs 1,000 every month, it will be Rs 1,250 for degree students and Rs 2,500 for girls doing .

Bill to raise legal marriage age for women lapses as 17th LS dissolves

With the dissolution of the 17th Lok Sabha, a bill that aimed to bring uniformity in the age of marriage for men and women has lapsed. The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2021 and was referred to the standing committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports. The standing committee received multiple extensions over a period of time. Citing provisions of law and Constitution, former Lok Sabha Secretary-General and Constitution expert P D T Acharya told PTI that with the dissolution of the 17th Lok Sabha, "the bill has now lapsed". The bill aimed to amend the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 to increase the minimum age of marriage of females to 21 years. Further, the Bill would have overridden any other law, custom, or practice. Under the 2006 Act, a person married below the minimum age may apply for annulment within two years of attaining majority (i.e., before 20 years of age). The Bill increases thi

Repeal of Muslim Marriage Act to distance Muslims from their religion: Min

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday claimed that the Assam Cabinet's decision to repeal the Muslim Marriages Act is aimed at distancing Muslims from their religion and religious practices. "In Assam, the BJP government has done away with the law that was 90 years old. According to that law, the marriage of Assam Muslims used to happen through 'qazi' or registrar, and they used to get the 'nikahnama' certificate," he told reporters here. The government has removed that system,he said and asked is there a provision of 'nikah' in the special marriage act. The wedding should happen as per one's religion, he said. There is no religion in the special marriage act which is a neutral, secular law, he said. Observing that 'Mehr' which is given to bride in Muslim marriage has been removed, he asked whether it is a loss to women or not. "If marriage is registered under special marriage act, inheritance will not be available under Muslim personal law. The purpose is to distance Muslim

WATCH | 'Hear me carefully': Assam CM's angry outburst on child marriages

The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Assam, led by Himanta Sarma, has been cracking down on child marriages since February last year

Over 2,000 people to be arrested in Assam over child marriages: CM Himanta

Since February, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in Assam has undertaken a statewide crackdown on child marriages

Several families have cancelled pre-scheduled child marriages: Assam CM

Several pre-planned child marriages have been cancelled in Assam over the last few days in the wake of ongoing police crackdown

4,004 child marriage cases registered in Assam: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that a total of 4,004 child marriage cases have been registered across the state, adding that "more police action is likely in days ahead"

WB govt, UNICEF rope in SHGs to stop child marriage, teenage pregnancy

The West Bengal government in collaboration with UNICEF will form child-friendly sanghas' (clusters), comprising members of self-help groups, to curb child marriage and teenage pregnancy in the state, which is the highest in the country. To stop these twin menaces, the state government and UNICEF have planned, as a pilot project, to form 110 child-friendly sanghas' in the next six months in 87 blocks in all 23 districts of the state, a UNICEF release said here. "This initiative is aimed at addressing the issues that affect the lives of SHG members and their family members," Vibhu Goel, State Mission Director and CEO of West Bengal State Rural Livelihood Mission (SRLM), said at the end of a validation workshop held here on Friday. West Bengal is at the top in cases of child marriage and teenage pregnancy, according to a National Family Health Survey report. As per the data available, after the National Family Health Survey-5 was conducted in 2019-20, a total 41.6 per cent of women a

12 million child marriages rival the population of J&K, shows data

As many of 7.84 million (65 per cent) married children were female, reinforcing the fact that girls are significantly more disadvantaged

'A sea of broken children', Covid gives rise to abuse, labour and marriage

While they may be less susceptible to the virus itself, children in South Asia are profoundly affected by the fallout, including the economic and social consequences of measures such as lockdowns

Reporting child marriages may become mandatory, govt mulling changes in law

According to the NFHS 2015-16 data, nearly eight per cent girls in the age group of 15-19 had already become mothers or were pregnant at the time of the survey