Lok Sabha Question No. 3015 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-09
Subject: Child Marriages
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Kodikunnil Suresh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3015 TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.08.2024

## CHILD MARRIAGES

## 3015. SHRI KODIKUNNIL SURESH:

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

- (a) whether the Government is aware of reports stating that every minute, three girl children are forced into marriage in India, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government is aware of reports of rampant child marriages being solemnized in the State of Kerala, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the total number of such child marriages reported between 2018 to 2024, State-wise; and
- (d) the details of action taken/proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard including initiatives for creating awareness in this regard with support of voluntary rights groups and other Government agencies?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI ANNPURNA DEVI)

(a) to (c): National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) compiles statistical data on crimes as reported to it by the States/UTs and publishes the same in its publication 'Crime in India'. The latest published report pertains to the year 2022. The State/ UT  - wise number  of  cases  registered  under  'The  Prohibition  of  Child  Marriage  Act,  2006 ' , including the State of Kerala, as per the NCRB Report from the year 2018 to 2022 is  at Annexure .

(d): The Government has enacted 'the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006' (PCMA) in order to curb child marriages and to take punitive actions against those associate with  child  marriages.  Section  16  of  Prohibition  of  Child  Marriage  Act  (PCMA)

authorises the State Government to appoint for the whole State, or such part there of 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 advising 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.  The  CMPOs  function  under  the respective State Governments/ UT Administrations.

Nevertheless, the Central Government 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.  The  Ministry  has  also  written  to  all States/ UTs to increase the number of CMPOs. Further, the Ministry of Women and Child  Development  implements  the  Beti  Bachao  Beti  Padhao  (BBBP)  component under  the  'Mission  Shakti'  umbrella  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, Child Marriage Protection Officers (CMPOs), District Child Protection Units etc.

*****

Annexure

Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) to (c) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3015 to be answered on 09.08.2024 regarding 'Child Marriages'.

The State/ UT - wise number of cases registered under 'The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006' as per the NCRB Report from the year 2018 till 2022 is as under:

| Sl.No.   | States/ UTs       |   Cases Reported |   Cases Reported |   Cases Reported |   Cases Reported |   Cases Reported |
|----------|-------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|
|          |                   |             2018 |             2019 |             2020 |             2021 |             2022 |
| 1.       | Andhra Pradesh    |               14 |                4 |               32 |               19 |               26 |
| 2.       | Arunachal Pradesh |                0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |
| 3.       | Assam             |               88 |              115 |              138 |              155 |              163 |
| 4.       | Bihar             |               35 |                8 |                5 |               11 |               13 |
| 5.       | Chhattisgarh      |                2 |                0 |                1 |                0 |                0 |
| 6.       | Goa               |                0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |
| 7.       | Gujarat           |                8 |               20 |               15 |               12 |                9 |
| 8.       | Haryana           |               21 |               20 |               33 |               33 |               37 |
| 9.       | Himachal Pradesh  |                9 |                4 |                5 |                5 |                4 |
| 10.      | Jharkhand         |                7 |                3 |                3 |                4 |                5 |
| 11.      | Karnataka         |               73 |              111 |              184 |              273 |              215 |
| 12.      | Kerala            |               18 |                7 |                8 |               12 |                6 |
| 13.      | Madhya Pradesh    |                3 |                4 |                5 |                4 |                7 |
| 14.      | Maharashtra       |               13 |               20 |               50 |               82 |               99 |
| 15.      | Manipur           |                0 |                0 |                0 |                2 |                1 |
| 16.      | Meghalaya         |                0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |
| 17.      | Mizoram           |                0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |
| 18.      | Nagaland          |                0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |
| 19.      | Odisha            |               22 |               22 |               24 |               64 |               46 |
| 20.      | Punjab            |                6 |                6 |               13 |                8 |                4 |
| 21.      | Rajasthan         |               11 |               19 |                3 |               11 |               10 |

| 22.   | Sikkim                     | 0   | 0   |   0 |    0 |    0 |
|-------|----------------------------|-----|-----|-----|------|------|
| 23.   | Tamil Nadu                 | 67  | 46  |  77 |  169 |  155 |
| 24.   | Telangana                  | 24  | 35  |  60 |   57 |   53 |
| 25.   | Tripura                    | 1   | 0   |   4 |    1 |    2 |
| 26.   | Uttar Pradesh              | 4   | 4   |  12 |    6 |   17 |
| 27.   | Uttarakhand                | 2   | 2   |   9 |   12 |    6 |
| 28.   | West Bengal                | 70  | 70  |  98 |  105 |  121 |
| 29.   | A&N Islands                | 0   | 0   |   0 |    0 |    0 |
| 30.   | Chandigarh                 | 2   | 1   |   1 |    0 |    0 |
| 31.   | D&N Haveli and Daman & Diu | 0+  | 1+  |   0 |    0 |    0 |
| 32.   | Delhi                      | 1   | 2   |   4 |    2 |    1 |
| 33.   | Jammu & Kashmir            | 0   | 1   |   1 |    2 |    2 |
| 34.   | Ladakh                     | -   | -   |   0 |    0 |    0 |
| 35.   | Lakshadweep                | 0   | 0   |   0 |    0 |    0 |
| 36.   | Puducherry                 | 0   | 0   |   0 |    1 |    0 |
|       | Total All India            | 501 | 525 | 785 | 1050 | 1002 |