Guwahati: The Assam The Cabinet on Monday directed state police to launch a crackdown on men who were married to girls under the age of 14 and arrest them under the supervision of the law. The Pocso Actwhile those who are married to girls between the ages of 14 and 18 will be arrested under the Child Marriage Prohibition Act 2006.
Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said more than a thousand girls in the state were married before they were of age, according to preliminary estimates.
Citing the National Family Health Survey report-5 (2019-20), Sarma said the number of child marriages in Assam is on the rise. He added: “In a survey of our own, we discovered that a girl in this state at the age of nine became a mother.
“As previous governments failed to heed the Child Marriage Prohibition Act of 2006 to prevent child marriage in the state, our infant mortality and maternal mortality rates continue to be at low levels. highest in the country. This is a historic mistake and we are working to correct it. Hopefully in the next 5 years, we can make Assam completely free of child marriage,” said CM Assam.
According to the NFHS-5 survey, women between the ages of 20 and 24 who were married before the age of 18 make up more than 31% of women in Assam, compared with the national average of more than 23% in 2019-20.
Assam’s latest figure is 1% higher than the number recorded by the NFHS-4 for 2015-16. The mother-to-child ratio is more than 11 percent in the state, Sarma said.
Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said more than a thousand girls in the state were married before they were of age, according to preliminary estimates.
Citing the National Family Health Survey report-5 (2019-20), Sarma said the number of child marriages in Assam is on the rise. He added: “In a survey of our own, we discovered that a girl in this state at the age of nine became a mother.
“As previous governments failed to heed the Child Marriage Prohibition Act of 2006 to prevent child marriage in the state, our infant mortality and maternal mortality rates continue to be at low levels. highest in the country. This is a historic mistake and we are working to correct it. Hopefully in the next 5 years, we can make Assam completely free of child marriage,” said CM Assam.
According to the NFHS-5 survey, women between the ages of 20 and 24 who were married before the age of 18 make up more than 31% of women in Assam, compared with the national average of more than 23% in 2019-20.
Assam’s latest figure is 1% higher than the number recorded by the NFHS-4 for 2015-16. The mother-to-child ratio is more than 11 percent in the state, Sarma said.
