Where does India stand on child marriage? | Explained
The story so far: The Union government celebrated the first anniversary of the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat Abhiyan earlier this month with a 100-day awareness campaign for a child marriage-free country, as part of its UN commitment to end child marriage by 2030. Although there has been significant progress in these efforts over the past decade, the situation remains uneven across States and socio-economic groups, and there is a good way to go to achieve the UN’s goal.
What is the global situation?
The fifth UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) is to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Within this Sustainable Development Goal, Target 5.3 is to eliminate all harmful practices, including child marriage, as well as early and forced marriages and female genital mutilation. Progress in child marriage is monitored using the indicator of the proportion of women aged 20 to 24 who marry before the age of 18. Girls Not Brides, a global partnership, warns that the child marriage target will impact other Sustainable Development Goals. “Unless we make significant progress on ending child marriage, we will fall short on at least nine of the Sustainable Development Goals, including those on poverty, food security, health, education, gender equality, economic growth, climate action, peace and justice,” he said. UNICEF estimates that 64 crore girls will be married in childhood by 2023, and one-third of them will marry in India alone. He added that progress must happen 20 times faster to achieve the 2030 target.
What is the situation in India?
According to data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), India has made tremendous progress in reducing child marriage; It fell from 47.4% in 2005-06 to 26.8% in 2015-16; This represents a sharp decline of 21 percentage points over ten years. Thereafter progress slowed; Child marriage rates fell by just 3.5 percentage points over the next five years, reaching 23.3% in 2019-21. More importantly, progress has varied greatly by geography. According to NHFS data, the highest rates of child marriage among women aged 18 to 29 were seen in West Bengal (42%), Bihar (40%) and Tripura (39%); Seven other states also recorded rates above the national average: Jharkhand (35%), Andhra Pradesh (33%), Assam (32%), Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (28%), Telangana (27%), Madhya. Pradesh (25%) and Rajasthan (25%). The states with the lowest percentage of women married before the legal minimum age of 18 are Lakshadweep (4%), Jammu and Kashmir (6%), Ladakh (6%), Himachal Pradesh, Goa and Nagaland (7% each).
There are also inequalities in terms of higher education and income. The UN Population Fund’s analysis of NFHS data shows that 48 percent of uneducated girls are married under the age of 18, compared to only 4 percent of girls with higher education. Additionally, 40% of girls in the lowest quintile of the household wealth index were married before adulthood, compared to only 8% of girls in the highest quintile.
What precautions are being taken?
The Prevention of Child Marriage Act was passed in 2006, and national child marriage rates have halved since then. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act, 2012 has also helped prevent child marriage. However, experts say that without a change in social norms, the impact of the legislation will be limited, especially on the education of girls, which has the biggest impact on raising the age of marriage.
The Bal Vivah Mukt Abhiyan portal records that as of December 20, 54,917 child marriage prevention officers have been appointed across the country to carry out awareness activities and take action on child marriage complaints. Since the start of the campaign, 1,520 reported cases of child marriage have been prevented through persuasion or administrative action; the highest figures were recorded in Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. However, it is also noted that 198 child marriages could not be prevented, and as a result, a complaint was made to the police, a report was made to the Child Protection Agency, or an annulment decision was given. Alongside such formal mechanisms, the campaign partnered with faith leaders, youth groups and community networks who have real influence at the grassroots level to change the narrative around child marriage and promote timely reporting and prevention.
The centre’s flagship Beti Bachao Beti Padhao programme, aims to address the declining child sex ratio through empowerment measures, particularly the promotion of education, although effective implementation is lacking on the ground. Laadli programs provide financial support to families with girls from birth, and steps are being taken to increase girls’ school enrollment through measures such as bicycles for safe transportation and better hygiene conditions in schools.
Some states offer financial aid for girls’ education; West Bengal’s Kanyashree scheme, for example, offers low-income families ₹1,000 a year to educate their daughters aged 13 to 18, and a one-time grant of ₹25,000 to 18- and 19-year-olds, provided the girls pursue higher education and postpone marriage. The state with the highest child marriage rates is sending mixed signals with the Rupashree scheme; He offers £25,000 to low-income families at the time of his daughter’s marriage, but only if the girl is over 18.
How about changing the legal marriage age?
The Union government has proposed raising the minimum age for marriage to 21 to bring women on par with men, paving the way for women to complete their higher education and have greater skills, maturity and independence when they get married. It can also increase women’s workforce participation and improve maternal and child health. However, Opposition MPs called for further scrutiny of the Child Marriage Prohibition (Amendment) Bill. Critics warn that a mere legal change without social reform could criminalize many communities, given that 61 percent of women ages 20 to 24 marry before they turn 21.
It was published – 21 December 2025 02:50 IST
