India intensifies crackdown on child marriages, 5,000 arrests made
A major crackdown on illegal child marriages in India’s Assam state has led to nearly 5,000 arrests, with 416 individuals detained during the latest police operations, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced Sunday.
“We will continue to take bold steps to end this social evil,” Sarma declared in a statement, reaffirming Assam’s commitment to eradicating child marriage by 2026.
Raids conducted overnight have resulted in numerous arrests, and those detained are set to be presented in court.
India, home to over 220 million child brides according to the United Nations, has seen a significant decline in child marriages over the past two decades. However, the practice remains prevalent, particularly in economically disadvantaged rural areas, where parents often see early marriage as a means of securing their children’s future.
Assam launched its abolition campaign in February 2023, targeting not only the underage couples but also parents and registrars complicit in arranging these illegal unions. The ongoing drive has now brought the total number of arrests to over 4,800.
The legal marriage age in India is 18, but millions of children, particularly girls, are still forced into marriage. These marriages often result in young brides leaving school to manage household duties and facing severe health risks from early pregnancies.
In a landmark 2017 ruling, India’s Supreme Court declared sex with an underage wife to be rape, bolstering efforts to combat the practice. Activists have lauded Assam’s aggressive actions as a significant step toward ending this harmful tradition.
