Launch of ‘Child Marriage Free India Campaign’ portal
Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi on Wednesday launched the portal ‘India Child Marriage Free Campaign’ to prevent practices like child marriage. On this occasion, Annapurna Devi said that 10 years ago the government started the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign, which aimed to bring about a change in the attitude of the society towards girls. This success is a symbol of that change. Now our next step is to provide girls with a path to fulfill their dreams and prevent practices such as child marriage from hindering their development. He also noted that India has been praised globally for curbing child marriage. Citing the United Nations report, he said the biggest reduction in child marriage has occurred in South Asia, the main reason being India’s efforts.
bad state of these states
However, the practice of child marriage is still widespread in many parts of India. The campaign will primarily focus on seven high-burden states – West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Tripura, Assam and Andhra Pradesh – where child marriage rates are higher than the national average. The government aims to reduce the child marriage rate below 5% by 2029. According to government data, the child marriage rate was 47.4% in 2006, and it fell to 23.3% in 2019-21.
Objective of starting the portal
The ‘Child Marriage Free India Campaign’ portal aims to strengthen the monitoring of Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) and make their role proactive. Apart from this, efforts have been made to make the child marriage reporting process simple and convenient for the users of the portal, so that victims and witnesses can be motivated to report. Within the framework of this campaign, attention is paid to issues such as education, health, financial security, security and social awareness. Aspects like ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ and the National Education Policy are being used to address the causes and effects of child marriage.
Union Minister expressed gratitude to the media
Expressing gratitude to the media, Minister Annapurna said, “The media has helped take the message of ‘Child Marriage Free India’ to the remote areas of the country.” He called on citizens to commit to ending child marriage, preventing it from occurring in their communities and reporting cases to local authorities. Annapurna Devi presented the campaign as a comprehensive approach that is part of efforts to give girls a central role in women-led development with the aim of creating a developed India by 2047.
Regarding this campaign, the Supreme Court had said in October that the Child Marriage Prohibition Act cannot be limited by individual laws and, while recognizing the loopholes in the law, had emphasized community measures and capacity building to enforce the law.
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