Child Marriage In India

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

Drop in child marriages in India drives decline in practice globally: UN

Child marriage in South Asia has almost halved over the past 25 years, falling from 59 per cent to 30 per cent today.

'Amendment to make child marriages void should be introduced soon'

There is great social acceptance of underage marriages in all communities and religions

Child brides: In Jharkhand, 1 in 2 girls aged 15-19 is married

Girls from Rajasthan started living with their husbands at a median age of 17 after spending four years in their parents' homes after marriage

40% of country's child brides reside in West Bengal: Supreme Court survey

Bihar recorded second-highest number of married girl children at 39%; Jharkhand stood third at 38%

SC reserves verdict on plea challenging exemption to sex in child marriage

Central government told the court that child marriage was an "inescapable factum"

Nitish Kumar govt to launch initiative against child marriage in Bihar

This was decided at a review meeting of Health department chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar