According to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)’s latest report, over 11.5 lakh children across the 27 states and 7 Union Territories (UTs) of India were found to be “vulnerable” to child marriage in 2023-24.
- Among these children, mostly girls, were school dropouts or had been irregular or absent from school for long without any intimation to authorities.
- The report underscored the efforts taken by the NCPCR under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006, through partnership with Child Marriage Prohibition officers (CMPOs), district authorities, and other stakeholders.
Note: The government has taken various steps to prevent child marriages in India such as family counseling, school reintegration efforts, and coordination with law enforcement agencies.
Key Findings:
i.As per the report, Uttar Pradesh (UP) with over 5 lakh vulnerable children, topped among the states, followed by Assam with 1.5 lakh children and Madhya Pradesh (MP) has nearly 1 lakh such children.
- While, UTs like Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands has identified no children vulnerable to child marriage.
- The report highlighted that many districts did not conduct the exercise, and Goa and Ladakh did not share data.
ii.The report mentioned that over 1.2 crore People were reached through the various awareness campaigns against child marriage, with states like: UP, Tamil Nadu (TN), and Andhra Pradesh (AP) are leading in the fight against child marriage.
iii.The report further highlighted that states like: UP, MP and Odisha, showed a strong response in addressing the child marriage issue in their respective states.
Key Points:
i.In March 2024, a child marriage awareness campaign was launched, which resulted in states mapping over 6 lakh schools covering around 3 lakh villages and blocks across 34 states/UTs.
ii.The data collected from the campaign has been sent to states and they were asked to ensure measures to step-up prevention of child marriage.
iii.The NCPCR has instructed all states to take various preventive measures which include: mapping of schools to identify children absent for 30 consecutive days without notice and monitoring the school drop outs in coordination with school authorities.
iv.The education department of the districts were instructed to prepare the list and shared with the District Magistrate (DM) and the CMPO to identify children from the list who are vulnerable to child marriage. They were also instructed to conduct family counseling and proper inquiry of all such identified children.
Recent Related News:
Union Minister Annpurna Devi Yadav, Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) has launched ‘Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2024 or Nutrition Month 24‘ at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. • It is the 7th series of Rashtriya Poshan Abhiyan, celebrating the entire month of September as Poshan Maah.
- The month-long campaign aims to further intensify efforts to combat malnutrition and promote holistic well being across India
About National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR):
It is the statutory body established under the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005 under the administrative control of the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoW&CD).
Chairperson- Priyank Kanoongo
Headquarters- New Delhi, Delhi
Established- 2007
