‘Child Marriage Free India Campaign’ portal launched
Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi on Wednesday launched the ‘Child Marriage Free India Campaign’ portal to prevent practices like child marriage. On this occasion, Annapurna Devi said that 10 years ago the government had started the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign, the objective of which was to bring a change in the society’s attitude towards the girl child. This success is a symbol of that change. Now our next step is to give girls a path to fulfill their dreams and stop practices like child marriage from hindering their development. He also pointed out that India has been praised globally for curbing child marriage. Citing the United Nations report, he said that the biggest reduction in child marriage has occurred in South Asia, the main reason for which is India’s efforts.
bad condition of these states
However, the practice of child marriage is still widespread in many parts of India. The main focus of the campaign will be 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 bring the rate of child marriage below 5% by 2029. According to government data, the child marriage rate was 47.4% in 2006, which has declined 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 reporting process of child marriage simple and convenient for the users on the portal, so that the victims and witnesses can be motivated for reporting. Under this campaign, issues like education, health, financial security, safety and social awareness are being addressed. Aspects like ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ and 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 Devi said, “The media has helped in taking the message of ‘Child Marriage Free India’ to the remote areas of the country.” He appealed to citizens to take a pledge to stop child marriage, stop it from happening in their communities and report cases to local authorities. Annapurna Devi introduced the campaign as a comprehensive approach which 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 acknowledging the gaps in the law, had emphasized on community-based measures and law enforcement capacity building.
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