Child marriage and India
Kartavya Desk Staff
Source: News on Air
Subject: Miscellaneous
Context: The Government of India has intensified efforts to eliminate child marriage through the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat (BVMB) campaign, aiming to reduce prevalence by 10% by 2026 and make India child marriage-free by 2030.
About Child marriage and India:
What it is?
• Child marriage refers to any marital union where the female is below 18 years or the male below 21 years of age.
History of child marriage laws in India:
• India’s fight against child marriage dates back to 19th-century social reform movements led by Raja Rammohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, and Jyotirao Phule.
• Age of Consent Act, 1891: First legal attempt to address early marriage.
• Child Marriage Restraint Act (Sarda Act), 1929: Set minimum marriage age at 14 for girls and 18 for boys.
• Amendments (1948 & 1978): Raised age to 18 for girls and 21 for boys.
• Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006: Shifted focus from restraint to prohibition, protection, and punishment.
Current laws governing child marriage:
• Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006: Declares child marriages voidable (and void in cases of force, trafficking, or deceit); provides for Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs).
• Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023: Sexual relations with a wife below 18 years constitute rape.
• POCSO Act, 2012: Treats sexual assault within child marriage as aggravated penetrative sexual assault.
India’s targets to eradicate child marriage:
• Reduce prevalence by 10% by 2026.
• Eliminate child marriage by 2030, in line with SDG 5.3.
• Achieve district- and panchayat-level “child marriage-free” status through community-driven enforcement and awareness.
Current trends in India:
• Prevalence: NFHS-5 (2019–21) shows 23% of women aged 20–24 were married before 18, a decline from previous decades but still significant.
• Regional concentration: Higher prevalence in states like West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and parts of central and eastern India.