Why Child Marriage Still Thrives

As per the data by the National Crime Bureau Records and Census 2011, between 2018 and 2022, three children were pushed into marriage every minute, and only three of these cases were ever reported. While the sheer number of child marriages is alarming, what’s truly chilling is the silence that surrounds them. Out of 4,442 child marriages conducted every day, just three were reported. This means that over four thousand girls in our country are forced daily into lives that remain a crime, a tradition, a challenge, and a failure. A crime we collectively commit, a tradition which communities refuse to abandon, a challenge for every stakeholder fighting to end it, and a failure of a society still unable to offer its children a life of justice and opportunity.

Child marriage is a punishable offence under India’s Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, which penalises not just those who solemnise such marriages but also anyone who aids, abets, or permits them. Yet, these numbers tell a different story. A story that is grim and hopeless. They tell us that child marriage continues to be celebrated and committed across most parts of the country, in every season and religion. And where it cannot be celebrated with lights and loudness, it happens behind closed doors. Clandestinely but consistently. Society refuses to acknowledge it as a crime, let alone report it.

But why this apathy? Why this refusal to see child marriage for what it is — child rape? It is a disturbing imagery of a long-surviving tradition, but that is precisely what it represents. When a child is married, she is celebrated only to be raped and abused for the rest of her childhood. The perpetrator may be a few years older or decades apart in age, but the ordeal remains the same.

A recent report by India Child Protection’s C-LAB for Children, Tipping Point to Zero: Evidence Towards a Child Marriage Free India, revealed some telling facts. It found near-universal awareness among people about child marriage laws. This in itself is a remarkable achievement for India. In a world where many nations still grapple with the basics of outlawing child marriage, India not only has a strong legal framework but also widespread awareness of it. Yet, if ignorance is not the reason, what stops villages and communities from reporting the crime?

Reporting Not an Act of Courage but of Defiance

The report by India Child Protection, a partner of India’s largest NGO network Just Rights for Children, revealed several encouraging signs of a changing India, and some startling realities. One of the most striking findings was that 83 per cent of respondents across five states surveyed identified social stigma as the biggest barrier to reporting child marriages.

In many communities, approaching the police or authorities is not seen as an act of courage but as one of defiance. A family that marries off their child is often protected by silence, while the one who reports such a marriage is ostracised, branded a traitor, and isolated. The risk of social exclusion far outweighs the faint promise of justice. For many, silence becomes a survival strategy.

Patriarchy in Front of the Society, Within Our Psyche, and Behind the Police Desk

Child marriage has thrived for centuries on the strength of patriarchy. Even today, though laws exist, patriarchy continues to breathe freely. It thrives in our families, in our communities, and even within those meant to uphold the law. Many officers, especially in rural areas, view child marriage not as exploitation but as “protection,” a way to secure a girl’s future or avoid social dishonour. This deeply ingrained mindset allows the crime to continue under the garb of culture and morality. When patriarchy dons a uniform, law becomes powerless.

Weak Institutional Mechanisms

The Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) appointed under the law often lack training, resources, and authority. In several states, a single officer is responsible for multiple districts, making proactive intervention nearly impossible. Coordination among CMPOs, Childline, Police, and Child Welfare Committees remains minimal, causing cases to collapse midway. Even when an FIR is registered, trials crawl forward, and witnesses frequently turn hostile under social pressure. Once this change is made, everything else will begin to fall in place. Prosecution is one of the biggest deterrents, and once people start to see results and justice, the circle of protection and prevention will be complete.

From Awareness to Accountability and Applause

India has won the battle of awareness. Now it must fight the battle of accountability. Laws cannot protect children unless they are enforced with conviction. All frontline responders, including the Police, CMPOs, Anganwadi workers, and Panchayats, must be trained to act decisively, not persuasively. FIRs should not depend on NGO intervention or public outrage but should flow automatically from any violation of the law. Only when enforcement becomes non-negotiable will awareness translate into real protection.

Meanwhile, for communities to see child marriage for what it truly is and to ensure that more individuals come forward to report such crimes, we must make the reporters the heroes they are. It is crucial to incentivise and protect those who raise their voice against child marriage. They are the heroes who deserve to be applauded, supported, and emulated. With a little strategy and sustained effort, we can ensure that they become true community champions.

Girls who have stepped forward and raised the alarm against their own child marriages are the leaders of tomorrow. They stood up for themselves and against those they love the most—their families. It is our duty to ensure that their courage is not wasted, and certainly not punished. We must protect them, educate them, and open the sea of opportunities that life has to offer. In doing so, we will nurture a culture of courage among thousands of other girls who still remain silent.

Families who choose education over early marriage, who resist social pressure, must also be recognised and rewarded. Link them to government schemes, highlight their stories, and let the rest of the village look at them with respect. Perhaps, even envy. Let them question their own choices, and chances are, if everything falls in place, they will change their course of action, too.

When courage becomes contagious and reporting becomes routine, India will truly win the war against child marriage and end it much before 2030.

Views expressed are personal. The writer is the Executive Director, Prayas JAC