Question : Child Marriage

(a) whether some States including West Bengal, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have the dubious distinction of lakhs of children being married off before the legal age while thousands of children go missing, if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;

(b) the number of such incidents reported in the country during each of the last three years and the current year, State/ UT-wise; and

(c) the corrective measures taken by the Government to check such incidents along with the directions/advisories issued to States/UTs in this regard?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
(DR. VIRENDRA KUMAR)

(a) & (b): There is no such information with the Ministry of Women and Child Development. As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, a total number of 280 cases in 2014, number of 293 cases in 2015 and 326 cases in 2016 were registered under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA) 2006. The State-wise Cases Registered (CR) under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 during 2014, 2015 and 2016 are at Annexure-I.

(c) The Government of India is concerned about the prevalence of child marriages in the country and has enacted the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA) 2006. As the issue concerning child marriage are deeply rooted in poverty, socio-culture mindset, there is a need to step up awareness by undertaking drives highlighting the evil effects of this practice. This is a continuous process and Government undertakes media campaigns and outreach programmes to address it.

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