Child Marriages in India

• Child Marriage: Refers to marrying a child before attaining adulthood. 
  • In India, Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 prohibits marriages before 18 years of age for females and 21 years for males.
  • Globally, Convention on the Rights of the Child defines child as any human below the age of 18 and refers to marriages within this age group as child marriage.
• Trends: Dropped from 47.4% (2005-06) to 26.8% (2015-16) to 23.3% (2019-21) as per National Family Health Survey (NFHS). 
  • Among the states, West Bengal, Bihar and Tripura top in Child Marriage cases. 

Key Reasons for Child Marriage

• Poverty: Patriarchal Indian society considers girls as an economic burden. 
• Patriarchy: Girl’s right to education is considered secondary to her labour in household. 
• Socio-cultural and religious practices: Some religious communities believe marrying girls before attaining puberty as  auspicious. 

Key Measures taken 

• Legal: Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 provides for appointment of Child Marriage Prohibition Officer by States. 
• Schemes: ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP), etc.      
• Grassroot Initiatives: Surajpur (Chhattisgarh) Model where 75 Panchayats were declared ‘Child Marriage-Free’. 
• Global Commitments: India is a signatory to United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child (UNCRC); India Committed to achieve SDG 5, for eliminating child, early, and forced marriage, by 2030, etc.