Child Marriage

Child marriage at 9? Iraq's controversial law ignites fiery protests

Iraq's Parliament, largely controlled by a coalition of conservative Shia Muslim parties, is poised to vote on a change that could dismantle the country's 'personal status law'

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 ..

Jharkhand SPKSY initiative to boost girls' education, combat early marriage

Adolescent girls, particularly those from weaker sections of society, are receiving support from Jharkhand government's financial assistance scheme to pursue their educational dreams, an official said. According to him, Savitribai Phule Kishori Samriddhi Yojana (SPKSY), launched by the Hemant Soren-led government, has been instrumental in discouraging early child marriage, reducing school dropouts, and encouraging girls to seek higher education. Laxman Hajam, a parent, said the scheme has ensured that financial constraints would no longer hinder his daughter's dream of becoming a doctor. "Now, she can continue her education," said Hajam, whose daughter is in class 10. The SPKSY provides scholarships totaling Rs 40,000, distributed in six installments, to facilitate the education of adolescent girls and promote women's empowerment and gender justice. Girls studying in classes 8 to 12 receive Rs 20,000 in five installments, with a one-time scholarship of Rs 20,000 available when ...

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

Restrictions on Afghan girls will increase child marriages by 25%: UN

According to the two-page brief, the continuation of restrictions by Taliban on women and girls will impact child marriages by an increase of 25 per cent, increase early childbearing by 45 per cent

Polygamy, child marriage not LS poll issues in Assam, says Assam CM Himanta

Asked if topics like polygamy or child marriage are election issues, Biswa replied in negative

Bengali-speaking Muslims must stop child marriage, polygamy: Assam CM Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has asserted that Bengali-speaking Muslims must forsake practices like child marriage and polygamy to be considered 'khilonjiya' indigenous people of the state. Sarma had also previously held the Bengali-speaking Muslim community of the state, most of whom have roots in Bangladesh, responsible for these social evils. "Whether 'Miyas' (Bengali-speaking Muslims) are indigenous or not is a different matter. What we are saying is that if they try to be 'indigenous', we have no problem. But for that, they have to forsake child marriage and polygamy, and encourage women education," Sarma said on Saturday. 'Miya' is originally a pejorative term used for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam and the non-Bengali speaking people generally identify them as Bangladeshi immigrants. In recent years, activists from the community have started adopting this term as a gesture of defiance. He said the Assamese people have a culture in which girls are compared to .

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

Assam oppn walks out of Assembly against repeal of Muslim Marriages Act

The opposition Congress and AIUDF staged walkouts from the Assam Assembly on Monday, protesting the decision by the state Cabinet to repeal the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935. The AIUDF had moved an adjournment motion to discuss the cabinet decision, which was rejected by Speaker Biswajit Daimary. The Congress maintained that amendments could have been made to the original bill without repealing it altogether. The Assam Cabinet on Friday had approved the decision to repeal the Act in a bid to end the social menace of child marriage in the state, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Responding to the opposition parties' criticism, Sarma asserted in the House on Monday that the bill will be repealed as it is a step towards abolishing child marriage. "Till I am alive, I won't allow child marriage to happen in Assam," he said. The Congress walked out of the House for 10 minutes, against the Cabinet decision. AIUDF legislators initially raised slogans

Highlights: Car securing route for CM Yogi's cavalcade meets with accident

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Assam Cabinet repeals Muslim Marriages & Divorces Registration Act

One-time compensation of Rs 2 lakh will be provided to Muslim Marriage Registrars for their rehabilitation after the Act is repealed

Assam Budget: Incentive for girl students to eliminate under age marriage

'Apart from punitive and regulatory measures, we need to empower girl child to decide about when to marry,' the finance minister said

Ban on polygamy, child marriage among recommendations of U'khand UCC draft

A complete ban on polygamy and child marriage, a common marriageable age for girls across all faiths and enforcing similar grounds and procedures for divorce are understood to be among the major recommendations of a panel which drafted a Uniform Civil Code for Uttarakhand. The five-member government-appointed panel, headed by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, Friday submitted the four-volume report running into 749 pages to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who said the draft will be examined, studied and discussed before it is tabled in the assembly on February 6. A special four-day session of the assembly has been convened from February 5-8 to pass a legislation on the UCC. Sources said the panel has also recommended that boys and girls will have equal inheritance rights, registration of marriages will be made mandatory and the marriageable age for girls would be increased so that they can become graduates before marriage. Couples whose marriages ar

Over 3,900 people held in child marriage cases in five years: Assam CM

Altogether 3,907 people have been arrested in Assam in cases relating to child marriage in the past five years, the state Assembly was informed on Monday. Out of them, 3,319 are facing charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, while replying to a question by Congress MLA Debabrata Saikia. The court has so far convicted 62 people in such cases, he added. The state government had launched a drive against child marriage in February this year and it was kept on hold now. Sarma, who also holds the Home portfolio, said that 316 corruption-related cases have been registered under Assam Police in the last five years. Of these, 91 cases are with the CID, 198 with the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption wing, and 27 with the Chief Minister's Special Vigilance Cell. As many as 479 people have been arrested in connection with these cases. The chief minister also said that 491 suspected land brokers have been arrested and ca

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

Give away Gandhi title: Assam CM to Rahul, terms family Sardar of duplicate

CM Sarma praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the 'Delhi Declaration' adopted during the G20 leaders' summit in Delhi and said that it happened only because of him