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A recent study published in Lancet Global Health has uncovered distressing statistics regarding child marriage in India, highlighting that despite a decline, the practice continues to prevail. The research, led by experts from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, exposes a significant prevalence of child marriages affecting girls and boys.
The study delves into the concerning persistence of child marriage in India, emphasizing that while there has been a reduction in this practice over time, recent trends indicate an increase in some states and Union Territories.
Professor SV Subramanian, the lead author, underscores the critical nature of this research, emphasizing the need to comprehend the changing landscape of child marriage rates across different regions in India for effective policymaking.
Despite legal definitions setting the minimum marriage age at 18 for girls and 21 for boys in India, the study employs broader criteria, considering marriage before 18 as child marriage for both genders.
Analyzing data from India’s National Family Health Survey spanning from 1993 to 2021, the study unveils a national decrease in child marriage rates. However, progress in curbing this practice has plateaued in recent years, with the most significant reductions observed between 2006 and 2016, followed by a slower decline from 2016 to 2021.
Alarmingly, several states and Union Territories, including Manipur, Punjab, Tripura, and West Bengal, witnessed an upsurge in girl child marriages. Similarly, an increase in boy child marriages was noted in states like Chhattisgarh, Goa, Manipur, and Punjab.
By 2021, the study identified over 13.4 million women and 1.4 million men aged 20-24 who were wed as children, signifying that approximately one in five girls and nearly one in six boys are married below the legal age.
The study underscores the pressing need for intensified efforts, policy interventions, and community engagement to combat child marriage effectively and work towards achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating this harmful practice.
