Why Child Marriage Free Bharat?

Child marriage is not only a social evil but also a crime. It is a crisis of health, education, and protection. Child marriage is one of the worst forms of exploitation against children. This heinous practice not only brings an abrupt end to a child’s childhood but also triggers the vicious cycle of intergenerational poverty, affecting the country's economic development.

Child Marriage is Child Rape

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which came into effect in July 2024, stipulates that sexual intercourse with a child even within marriage is rape.

Every minute, three girls are married off? in India, as per the 2011 Census. According to the National Crime Records Bureau data, only three cases of child marriage were registered nationwide each day in 2022.

The National Family Health Survey 2019-2021 results revealed that, in India, 23.3% of women (between the 20-24 age group) were married before they turned 18. Infant mortality, a consequence of child marriage, stands at 45 per 1,000 live births (by mothers below 20 years of age) as compared to 33 (by mothers between the age group of 20-29 years).

Objectives of the Campaign

• Reduce child marriages from 23.3% (NFHS-5) to 10% by 2025 and make India child marriage free by 2030

• Strengthen community and village-level institutions to end child marriage and make registration of marriage compulsory

• Empower women as leaders and equip them to raise their voices against child marriage in their villages

• Appeal to faith leaders, local communities, temples, mosques and churches to support in eradicating child marriage by refusing to solemnise child marriage in their regions

• Build capacity of law enforcement and child protection agencies for immediate response on complaints related to child marriage

• Educate and rehabilitate the victims and survivors of child marriage

Strategy

• PICKET is a strategic approach to eliminate child marriage in a time bound manner. The PICKET strategy would entail the following:

Policy for prevention, protection, prosecution.

Investment in infrastructure, incentivisation and institutions.

Convergence of departments, governments and stakeholders in the community.

Knowledge which equips all the stakeholders to combat child marriage.

Ecosystem where child marriage does not thrive.

Technology for monitoring and deterrence to combat child marriage.