A day-long consultation held on the implementation of the Prohibition of Child Marriage (PCM) Act 2006 highlighted how this act has failed to prevent child marriages in India.
This has serious implications especially with experts estimating that by 2014, an unprecedented 100 million girls will be married off before the age of 18 years. Unicef’s 2009 report highlights that 40 per cent of these child marriages occur in India.
The findings of this estimate are backed by the National Family Health Survey of 2005-06 carried out in 29 states which confirmed that 45 per cent of women currently aged 20-24 years were married before they were 18.
Dr Ranjana Kumari, president of Women Power Connect (WPC), one of the organisers, claimed, “The PCM Act 2006 has failed to prevent child marriages primarily because the majority of states have failed to frame rules to ensure its speedy implementation.”
Nirmal Buch, president, of the Bhopal-based Mahila Chetna Manch quoted from the Human Development Report 2012 which, however, claims that child marriages in India have reduced by half. Her organisation is presently monitoring child marriages in 25 villages, which fall under the districts of Rajgarh and Sehore, located close to Bhopal.
“While in 2007-08, 68.9 per cent child marriages had taken place in Rajgarh and 58 per cent in Sehore, the figures had come down to 56.3 per cent and 51.9 per cent in 2010-11 respectively,” said Ms Buch.
“We are trying to create adolescent awareness and have selected change agents who can work with these communities to create greater social awareness,” said Ms Buch.
One of the recommendations of Women Power Connect is that the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act be amended so that all marriages where one of both partners are below 16 years of age may be declared void.