Men marrying girls below 14 years to be booked under POCSO in Assam, says CM

Guwahati: The Assam Cabinet on Monday decided to book men who marry girls below 14 years in the state under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Assam has a high Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and the primary cause is child marriage, the CM said.

“We have decided to make the campaign against child marriage a priority in governance and we hope to end it in the next five years”, Sarma said at a press conference after the Cabinet meeting.

The state has an average of 31 per cent marriages in the “prohibited age”, Sarma said.

POCSO Act of 2012 defines a child as an individual under the age of 18 and it criminalises sex between an under-age child and an adult.

A husband cannot “touch” his wife if she is below the age of 14 as this amounts to sexual offence and the male partner is liable to be sentenced to life imprisonment under POCSO Act in Assam, Sarma said.

Asked about the legal action if both partners are below the age of 14, the chief minister said that in that case the marriage will be declared illegal and the boy will be sent to a juvenile home as minors cannot be tried in court.

Those marrying girls in the age group of 14-18, will be tried under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, and necessary steps will be taken against them under this law, he said.

The legal age for marriage is 18 years for women and 21 for men.

The police have been directed to conduct a massive crackdown against child marriage, carry out an awareness campaign against the problem, and take legal action against those who are violating norms in this regard, the CM said.