Child marriage causes unimaginable suffering, says minister

Union Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi on Thursday said child marriage “snatches childhood away from daughters and causes unimaginable suffering by pushing them towards early maternity.” She was speaking at the launch of the Union government’s 100-day nationwide awareness campaign to push towards a “child-marriage-free India”.

The event was organised to formally launch the campaign that started on November 27 and will continue till March 8

The minister said India had strengthened its legal framework, from the Sarda Act of 1929 to the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act of 2006, but social customs enabling child marriage still persist.

“Even one child marriage is unacceptable,” she said, urging states, community leaders and civil society to adopt a zero-tolerance approach.

Annapurna Devi said schemes such as Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao had contributed to improvement in sex ratio and and helped increase enrolment of girls in secondary and higher education.

“Today, our daughters are growing faster than ever before. Whether in sports, defence, mining or space, they are creating new history,” the minister said.

Representatives of grassroots organisations at the event shared how village-level counselling, school interventions and local vigilance were helping in preventing dozens of child marriages in vulnerable districts.

They said families were approaching Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) when under pressure from relatives or neighbours.

Women and Child Development Secretary Anil Malik termed child marriage a “crime against humanity”.

He said nearly half of all marriages in India involved minors two decades ago but the number has fallen sharply, according to recent Sample Registration System data. He, however, asserted that laws alone could not eliminate the social evil.

Malik said more than 38,000 CMPOs are now registered on the national portal. Over 22 lakh people accessed it last year and more than 50,000 pledged to help prevent child marriage, he added.

The event laid emphasis on young community leaders who helped stop underage marriages, including Roshni Parveen from Bihar, Shilu from Odisha and Jyotsana Akhtar from Tripura.

The minister cited the example of Surajpur district in Chhattisgarh, where 75 panchayats have reported no child marriages for two consecutive years.

Child rights activist and founder of Just Rights for Children (JRC), Bhuwan Ribhu, called on all stakeholders to join the movement.

“The role of community groups, faith leaders, panchayats and citizens is central to building a child-marriage-free India… Last year, more than one lakh child marriages were prevented,” he said.

“Next year.. we pledge to make one lakh villages child marriage free so that every child has opportunities and a secure future,” Ribhu added.

JRC is a network of more than 250 non-governmental organisations (NGO) across 451 districts.