Question : Child Marriages

(a) whether the Government has taken cognizance of prevalence of child marriages in various parts of the country despite relevant Acts/provisions in this regard;
(b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor indicating the number of cases registered and offenders punished under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 during each of the last three years and the current year, State/UT-wise along with the States in which child marriages are rampant;
(c) whether the Government proposes to review/amend the existing Act and efficacy of the existing mechanisms/ provisions to plug the loopholes so as to prevent child marriages in the country and if so, the details thereof;
(d) whether the Government has issued any fresh directions/guidelines to the States/UTs in this regard; and
(e) if so, the details thereof along with the other measures taken by the Government to prevent child marriages in the country?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
(SHRIMATI KRISHANA RAJ)

(a) to (e) As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, a total number of 222, 280 and 293 cases have been registered under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA) 2006 in the year 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively. The States/UTs wise details of number of cases registered under Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 during 2013 to 2015 are annexed. The reasons for child marriage are complex and it is mind set problem which considers girl child as a burden. Social customs, tradition, illiteracy, poverty, low status of women in society, lack of awareness about consequences of child marriage are some of the other reasons that encourage the practice of child marriage.

The Government of India has enacted the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 in order to prohibit child marriages rather than only restraining them. The States/UTs from time to time are being regularly pursued for effective implementation of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. The practice of Child Marriages is a social evil perpetuated social customs, tradition, illiteracy, poverty, low status of women in society and lack of awareness. These issues cannot be tackled by legislative interventions alone. This is a continuous process and Government undertakes media campaigns and outreach programmes to address this.
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