Last Updated: Jan 2025 (Child Marriage in India)
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Child Marriage in India
This article deals with ‘Child Marriage in India ’. This is part of our series on ‘Society’ which is an important pillar of the GS-1 syllabus. For more articles, you can click here.
Introduction
Child Marriage involves the marriage of minors (below the legal age of 21 for boys and 18 for girls) that violate their rights and contribute to various social challenges.
Data regarding Child Marriage in India
- According to the 2011 Census, 30.2% of all Indians were married before they turned 18.
- According to the Lancet Global Health Report (2023), there is a high prevalence of Child Marriage in India, with 1 out of 5 girls and 1 out of 6 boys victim of it.
- Child marriage is more prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas.
- In Bihar and Rajasthan, approximately 60% of females are married as children.
Causes of Child Marriage
- Poverty: Lack of education in poverty-stricken families often leads to early marriages
- Growing insecurity of Girls: The increasing concerns for the safety of girls in some communities create a sense of urgency among families to marry off their daughters once they reach puberty.
- Cultural Reproduction: Deep-rooted traditional practices that have persisted over generations have contributed to the perpetuation of child marriages.
- Perception of Economic Liability: A girl child is seen as an economic burden, leading families to marry them off early.
- Increased Dropout Ratio: A higher dropout rate among girls after primary education pushes them towards early marriages
- Weak Enforcement of Legal Provisions: Despite the existence of legal frameworks such as the Child Marriage (Prohibition) Act, the act is weakly enforced.
Consequences of Child Marriage
- Educational Deprivation: Child Marriage denies access to education, limiting future opportunities.
- Health Impacts on Women: Child Marriage raises health risks for women, leading to higher rates of maternal mortality and anaemia.
- Population Growth: Child Marriage contributes to a higher population due to increased fertility rates at a younger age.
- Domestic Violence: Child Marriage amplifies instances of domestic violence.
- Psychological Consequences: Child Marriage results in the prostitution of personality and psychological alienation for those involved.
Government provisions
Statutory Provisions
Child Marriage (Prohibition) Act, 2006
- Marriage of boys under the age of 21 and girls under the age of 18 is illegal.
- There is a provision for a Child Marriage Prohibition Officer to stop child marriages, create awareness, etc.
- Additionally, the Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill of 2021 seeks to elevate the minimum age of marriage for females to 21 years.
- Whoever performs, conducts or abets child marriage can be imprisoned for up to 2 years and fined up to Rs. 1 lakh.
Conventions
- United Nations Convention on the Rights of Child (UNCRC): The convention emphasizes the protection of children’s rights, including the right to protection from early and forced marriages.
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights: The declaration emphasizes that Marriage shall be entered only with the intended spouses’ full and free consent.
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW): CEDAW calls for eliminating gender-based discrimination, including harmful practices like child marriage.
Policies
- National Population Policy, 2000 promotes delayed Marriage for girls
Supreme Court Judgement
- Society For Enlightenment and Voluntary Action v. Union of India (2024): The Supreme Court held that even fixing the marriage during childhood violates the free choice of choosing one’s partner and life path, and steps should be taken by the Parliament to ban it.
Schemes
- Dhan Laxmi Scheme: The Government provides financial assistance to those marrying after the age 18.
- Odisha Child Marriage Resistance Forum: Forum of Children who have resisted parental and societal pressure to get married before the legal age
SDG
- SDG target 5.3 aims to ‘End the Child Marriage in girls by 2030.’
- It involves a multifaceted approach encompassing awareness campaigns, legislative reforms, educational initiatives, and community engagement.