Lost childhood: Upward trend in child marriages over last 3 years

Latest official data compiled by the government indicates that 671 cases of child marriage have been recorded between 2012 and 2014. Answering a question on the issue, Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Maneka Sanjay Gandhi told Rajya Sabha recently, “As per the data of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), a total number of 169, 222 and 280 cases have been registered under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006 in the year 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively.”

The minister said that the government was concerned about the prevalence of child marriage in the country and has put in place necessary legislation viz. Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA) 2006 to tackle the problem. “The States/UTs from time to time are being regularly pursued for effective implementation of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. Further, State Governments are requested to take special initiatives to delay marriage by coordinated efforts on Akha Teej - the traditional day for such marriages; Advertisements in the press and electronic media educating peoples on the issue of Child Marriage etc are also being taken up,” she added. Highlighting the efforts made by the government to curtail the menace, Gandhi said, “Platforms such as the International Women’s Day and the National Girl Child Day are used to create awareness on issues related to women and to highlight issues such as child marriage. Through the Sabla programme of the WCD Ministry, adolescent girls in the age group of 11 to 18 years are imparted training with regard to legal rights of women which also includes the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.”

India is ranked 13th globally in the list of child marriage hot spots with 47 per cent of girls being married before the age of 18, according to International Center for Research on Women (ICRW). A study conducted by ICRW in Bihar and Jharkhand also found that girls, who were married before 18 were twice as likely to report being beaten, slapped or threatened by their husbands than girls who married later.

There are 1.5 million girls, in India, under the age of 15 who are already married according to the 2001 census. Of these girls, 20 per cent or approximately 300,000 are mothers with at least one child.  The 2001 census also estimated the average age of marriage has risen to 18.3 for females. The male average stands at 22.6 years. But still child marriage is rampant in India. In fact states like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Andra Pradesh still have average age of marriage below the legal age of eighteen for females. According to National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) survey 47.3 per cent of women aged 20-24 were married by age 18. Of these, 2.6 per cent were married before they turned 13, 22.6 percent were married before they were 16, and 44.5 percent were married when they were between 16 and 17.