Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma has announced that thousands of child marriages will be arrested in the next week. This was stated by the Chief Minister who visited Nakhon district of Assam.
“Thousands of youths who have engaged in child marriages across the state will be arrested in the next one week. Also those who marry girls below 14 years of age will be booked under the POCSO Act,” he said. The Government of Assam has launched a vigorous campaign and action against child marriage. As part of that, the Chief Minister today visited Nagaon district, which has one of the highest child marriages in the state.
Assam’s Nagaon district has 42 percent child marriages. The chief minister said that this step is being taken because child marriages lead to conception at a very young age and thus increase maternal and child deaths.
Four people were arrested in Barpeta district last January after intensifying the operation to prevent child marriage. Similarly 4004 cases of child marriages have been reported in each district through intensive surveillance. The Chief Minister of Assam has explained this in detail on his Twitter page. From statistics on child marriage to preventive measures, he has explained.
The marriageable age for women in India is 18. The marriageable age for men is 21. However, child marriages are high throughout the country. According to the National Family Health Survey, 11.7 percent of girls between the ages of 15 and 19 in Assam become pregnant. Marriage before the age of 18 is a very common phenomenon in many districts of Assam. It is in this context that the Assam government has intensified the prevention of child marriages.
District wise child marriages in Assam:
- Dhubri – 50.8%
- South Salmara – 44%
- Tarang – 42%
- Nakhon – 42%
- Golpara – 41%
- Bongaigan – 41%
- Barbetta – 40%
- Morrigan – 39%
- Dima Haso – 15%
