Child Marriage Assam
Assam, the gateway of North East India, is another state of India that is witnessing the social menace of child marriage. According to Annual Health Survey Data 2012-13 reveals that 35% of currently married women between 20 and 24 years of age were married below 18 years in Assam & 36.7% of currently married men between 25 and 29 years of age were married below 21 years in Assam.
Child marriage had both sociological and psychological affect on boys and girls. “But the effect on girls is far larger and more intense because when a girl lives with a man and takes on the role of caregiver for him, the assumption is often that she has become an adult woman, even if she has not yet reached the age of 18 years. She is required to perform heavy amounts of domestic work, is under pressure to demonstrate fertility, and responsible for raising children, is constrained in decision-making, and reduced life choices.
Child Marriage in Assam
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday announced that arrests will begin in more than 4,000 cases against child marriage registered in the State in the last nine days. On January 23, Sarma announced that the Assam government will launch a statewide drive against child marriage, booking men marrying girls below 14 years of age under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and those marrying girls aged 14-18 under Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.
Since the announcement, the Assam Police has registered 4,004 cases against child marriage across the state and action in these cases will begin on Friday, said the Chief Minister
The stated aim of the government’s drive is addressing the high maternal mortality and infant mortality rates in the state, which it has pinned on early motherhood. Assam has the highest maternal mortality rate in the country with 195 deaths per one lakh live births in 2018-2020, according to data released by the Registrar General of India in 2022. According to the National Family Health Survey-5, Assam has the third highest infant mortality rate at 32 deaths per 1,000 live births.
You can download the Child Marriage Assam PDF using the link given below.
