Lok Sabha Question No. 1693 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-02-11
Subject: Child Marriage
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Dhal Singh Bisen

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UN-STARRED QUESTION NO.1693

TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.02.2022

## CHILD MARRIAGE

1693 : DR. DHAL SINGH BISEN:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT  be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of child marriages reported in the country during the last five years, State/ UT-wise particularly in Madhya Pradesh, district-wise;
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  action  in  such  cases  and  if  so,  the details thereof; and
- (c) the  initiative  taken  by  the  Government  to  create  awareness  and  prevent  such child marriages in Madhya Pradesh?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a) : The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) compiles and publishes the data on the number of cases of child marriage registered under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006 in its publication 'Crime in India'.  The said report is available upto the  year  2020.  The  state-wise  and  year-wise  number  of  cases  of  child  marriages reported  in  the  country  during  last  five  years  is  at Annexure-I and  the  district-wise number of cases of child marriages in Madhya Pradesh is at Annexure-II .

(b) & (c): 'Police' and 'Public Order' are State subjects under the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. The responsibilities to maintain law and order, protection of life and property of the citizens, investigation and prosecution of crime against women and children including prohibition of child marriages, rest with the respective State Governments. the State Governments are competent to deal with such offenses under the extant provisions of laws.

The  Government  has  enacted  the  Prohibition  of  Child  Marriage  Act  (PCMA), 2006.  Section  16  of  the  PCMA  authorises  the  State  Government  to  appoint  for  the whole State, or such part thereof as may be specified, an officer or officers to be known as the 'Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPO)' having jurisdiction over the area or areas  specified  in  the  notification.  This  section  also  specifies  the  functions  to  be discharged by CMPOs, which also include preventing solemnisation of child marriages by  taking  such  action  as  they  may  deem  fit;   to  collect  evidence  for  the  effective prosecution of persons contravening the provisions of the Act; to advise the individuals or  counsel the  residents  of  the  locality  not  to  indulge  in  promoting,  helping,  aiding  or allowing the solemnisation of child marriages; to create awareness about the ill effects of  child  marriages;  and  to  sensitize  the  community  on  the  issue  of  child  marriages. These authorities function under the respective State Governments/ UT Administrations. As such, implementation of the provisions of the Act lies with them.

The Central Government also undertakes awareness drives, media campaigns and outreach programs and issues advisories to the States/ UTs from time to time to highlight  evil  effects  of  this  practice.  Further,  the  Ministry  of  Women  and  Child Development  implements  the  Beti  Bachao  Beti  Padhao  (BBBP)  scheme,  wherein creation of awareness on matters pertaining to gender equality and discouraging child marriage is an important focus area. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)  also undertakes awareness programs and consultations with stakeholders  from  time  to  time  in  this  regard.  In  addition,  Government  of  India  has introduced CHILDLINE with short code 1098, a 24X7 telephone emergency outreach service for children in crisis  which responds with suitable interventions to call for any form of assistance which a child requires, including for prevention of child marriages in coordination with police, CMPOs, District Child Protection Units etc.

As per information provided by the Government of Madhya Pradesh, in the State of Madhya Pradesh, from the year 2013-2019, Lado Abhiyan was undertaken with the objective  of  raising  awareness  among  various  matrimonial  service  providers  such  as religious  leaders,  marriage  gardens,  dharamshalas,  caterers,  beauty  parlors  and saloons,  printing  press,  social  leaders  etc  for  not  providing  services  in  case  of  child marriages and to report such incidents. Under the 'Strategic Action Plan for Adolescent Empowerment  with  Focus  on  Ending  Child  Marriage  and  Violence  Against  Children, 2020-2024', collaborative efforts are made by different stakeholders including Departments  of  Elementary  Education,  Higher  Education,  Rural  Development,  Tribal Development,  Technical  Education,  Skill  Development,  Sports  &  Youth  Affairs  and Public Relations. Conscious and concerted efforts are made to prohibit child marriages by  utilising  the  available  resources.  Further,  'Bal  Vivaah  Rok  Tham  Dal'  have  been established at Village, Block and District levels. Control Rooms are in place at Block and  District  Level  to  ensure  quick  action  if  a  planned  child  marriage  is  reported.  On 22.06.2021, an online webinar was organised by the Women and Child Development Department at State level to spread awareness on this issue.

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Annexure-I

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  TO  THE  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  1693  FOR  ANSWER  ON  11.02.2022  ASKED  BY  DR. DHAL SINGH BISEN REGARDING 'CHILD MARRIAGE'

STATE-WISE AND YEAR-WISE NUMBER OF CASES OF CHILD MARRIAGE REPORTED DURING LAST FIVE YEARS

| Sl. No.   | State/UT                    | 2016   | 2017   | 2018   | 2019   |   2020 |
|-----------|-----------------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh              | 19     | 15     | 14     | 4      |     32 |
| 2         | Arunachal Pradesh           | 0      | 0      | 0      | 0      |      0 |
| 3         | Assam                       | 23     | 58     | 88     | 115    |    138 |
| 4         | Bihar                       | 0      | 17     | 35     | 8      |      5 |
| 5         | Chhattisgarh                | 8      | 1      | 2      | 0      |      1 |
| 6         | Goa                         | 0      | 0      | 0      | 0      |      0 |
| 7         | Gujarat                     | 12     | 6      | 8      | 20     |     15 |
| 8         | Haryana                     | 14     | 18     | 21     | 20     |     33 |
| 9         | Himachal Pradesh            | 0      | 5      | 9      | 4      |      5 |
| 10        | Jharkhand                   | 4      | 1      | 7      | 3      |      3 |
| 11        | Karnataka                   | 51     | 65     | 73     | 111    |    184 |
| 12        | Kerala                      | 8      | 15     | 18     | 7      |      8 |
| 13        | Madhya Pradesh              | 9      | 5      | 3      | 4      |      5 |
| 14        | Maharashtra                 | 16     | 20     | 13     | 20     |     50 |
| 15        | Manipur                     | 0      | 0      | 0      | 0      |      0 |
| 16        | Meghalaya                   | 0      | 0      | 0      | 0      |      0 |
| 17        | Mizoram                     | 0      | 0      | 0      | 0      |      0 |
| 18        | Nagaland                    | 0      | 0      | 0      | 0      |      0 |
| 19        | Odisha                      | 15     | 17     | 22     | 22     |     24 |
| 20        | Punjab                      | 8      | 8      | 6      | 6      |     13 |
| 21        | Rajasthan                   | 12     | 6      | 11     | 19     |      3 |
| 22        | Sikkim                      | 0      | 0      | 0      | 0      |      0 |
| 23        | Tamil Nadu                  | 55     | 55     | 67     | 46     |     77 |
| 24        | Telangana                   | 19     | 25     | 24     | 35     |     60 |
| 25        | Tripura                     | 1      | 1      | 1      | 0      |      4 |
| 26        | Uttar Pradesh               | 3      | 4      | 4      | 4      |     12 |
| 27        | Uttarakhand                 | 1      | 1      | 2      | 2      |      9 |
| 28        | West Bengal                 | 41     | 49     | 70     | 68     |     98 |
|           | TOTAL STATE(s)              | 319    | 392    | 498    | 518    |    779 |
| 29        | A&N Islands                 | 1      | 0      | 0      | 0      |      0 |
| 30        | Chandigarh                  | 0      | 2      | 2      | 1      |      1 |
| 31        | D&N Haveli and Daman & Diu+ | 0      | 0      | 0      | 1      |      0 |
| 32        | Delhi                       | 1      | 1      | 1      | 2      |      4 |
| 33        | Jammu & Kashmir*            | 0      | 0      | 0      | 1      |      1 |
| 34        | Ladakh                      | -      | -      | -      | -      |      0 |
| 35        | Lakshadweep                 | 0      | 0      | 0      | 0      |      0 |
| 36        | Puducherry                  | 5      | 0      | 0      | 0      |      0 |
|           | TOTAL UT(s)                 | 7      | 3      | 3      | 5      |      6 |
|           | TOTAL (ALL INDIA)           | 326    | 395    | 501    | 523    |    785 |

Annexure-II

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  TO  THE  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  1693  FOR  ANSWER  ON  11.02.2022  ASKED  BY  DR. DHAL SINGH BISEN REGARDING 'CHILD MARRIAGE'

Cases Registered under 'The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006' districts of Madhya Pradesh during 2016-2020

|   Sl. No. | District         |   2016 |   2017 |   2018 |   2019 |   2020 |
|-----------|------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
|         1 | Agar             |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|         2 | Alirajpur        |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|         3 | Anuppur          |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|         4 | Ashok Nagar      |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|         5 | Balaghat         |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|         6 | Barwani          |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|         7 | Betul            |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|         8 | Bhind            |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|         9 | Bhopal           |      0 |      0 |      1 |      0 |      1 |
|        10 | Bhopal Railway   |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        11 | Burhanpur        |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        12 | Chhatarpur       |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        13 | Chhindwara       |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        14 | Damoh            |      0 |      0 |      1 |      0 |      0 |
|        15 | Datia            |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        16 | Dewas            |      1 |      1 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        17 | Dhar             |      0 |      1 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        18 | Dindori          |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        19 | Guna             |      0 |      0 |      0 |      1 |      0 |
|        20 | Gwalior          |      2 |      1 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        21 | Harda            |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        22 | Hoshangabad      |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        23 | Indore           |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        24 | Indore Railway   |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        25 | Jabalpur         |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        26 | Jabalpur Railway |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        27 | Jhabua           |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        28 | Katni            |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        29 | Khandwa          |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        30 | Khargone         |      1 |      0 |      0 |      1 |      0 |
|        31 | Mandla           |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        32 | Mandsaur         |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        33 | Morena           |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        34 | Narsinghpur      |      0 |      2 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        35 | Neemuch          |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        36 | Panna            |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        37 | Raisen           |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        38 | Rajgarh          |      1 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        39 | Ratlam           |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        40 | Rewa             |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        41 | Sagar            |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        42 | Satna            |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |

| 43   | Seoni            |   1 |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|------|------------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|
| 44   | Shahdol          |   1 |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 45   | Shajapur         |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |   1 |
| 46   | Sheopur          |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 47   | Shivpuri         |   1 |   0 |   1 |   2 |   3 |
| 48   | Sidhi            |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 49   | Sehore           |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 50   | Singrauli        |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 51   | Tikamgarh        |   1 |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 52   | Ujjain           |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 53   | Umaria           |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 54   | Vidisha          |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 55   | Cyber Crime Cell |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 56   | Niwari           |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|      | Total            |   9 |   5 |   3 |   4 |   5 |

*****