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Child Marriage
The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006 is apparently aimed at prohibiting marriage of any girl below 18 years of age and any boy below 21 years of age. However, according to the District Level Household and Facility Survey-3 (DLHS-3) data brought out in 2010, 43% of women in India aged 20-24 were married before 18 years. It is estimated that there are more than 23 million child brides in India, which is 40% of the child brides globally. In the last 15 years the decline in child marriage is 11%, which is less than 1% per year.
The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006 is apparently aimed at prohibiting marriage of any girl below 18 years of age and any boy below 21 years of age. However, according to the District Level Household and Facility Survey-3 (DLHS-3) data brought out in 2010, 43% of women in India aged 20-24 were married before 18 years. It is estimated that there are more than 23 million child brides in India, which is 40% of the child brides globally. In the last 15 years the decline in child marriage is 11%, which is less than 1% per year. The National Strategy Document on Prevention of Child Marriage 2013 highlights these statistics of child marriage prominently.
Child marriage denies the child his/her basic right to good health, education, nutrition and freedom and has an adverse impact on the physical, emotional and psychological development of children. Most of the evidence points out that child marriage makes girls more vulnerable to abuse, violence and exploitation as compared to boys.
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