Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Annapurna Devi launched the “Child Marriage Free India” Campaign in New Delhi. The campaign aims to eliminate child marriage and empower young girls. The campaign is aligned with the vision of a developed India (Developed India) by 2047. It also saw the launch of the “Child Marriage Free India Portal”, an innovative tool for citizens to report incidences of child marriage and enforce the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.
Key Features of the Campaign
Focus Areas
- Prioritisation of seven high child marriage rate States and 300 high-impact districts.
- Special focus on eliminating child marriage in these areas.
- Collaborative approach: Request to all States and Union Territories to prepare an action plan to reduce child marriage rate to less than 5% by 2029.
- Child Marriage Free India Portal: An innovative online platform that allows citizens to report incidents of child marriage, lodge complaints, and obtain information on Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs).
Status of Child Marriage in India
Decline in Child Marriage
- Declined from 47.4% in 2005-06 (NFHS-3) to 26.8% in 2015-16 (NFHS-4).
- According to NFHS-5, child marriages continue to decline, but remain a challenge in some areas.
Economic Inequality
- Child marriage is more prevalent in economically weaker families.
- 40% of girls in the lowest quintile are married before the age of 18, while it is only 8% in the highest quintile.
- States with high prevalence: West Bengal, Bihar, Tripura, Jharkhand, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Telangana.
Steps taken by the government
- Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 (PCMA): This act prohibits child marriage and criminalizes it. Minimum marriage age 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys.
- United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: India is a signatory to this and is committed to protecting child rights.
- National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR): Provides awareness programs and legal aid to fight child marriage.
- Early marriages lead to increased maternal and infant mortality.
- Girls’ education is hampered and their health is adversely affected.
- Women’s quality of life and economic independence are negatively impacted.
- Social and economic reforms: This campaign is an effort to not only end the evil practice of child marriage but also promote education, health, and gender equality in society.
- Goal: Reduce the rate of child marriage to less than 5% by 2029 and strengthen community, legal, and administrative efforts to eliminate it.