Ajit Karn
With over 4,074 cases of child marriage registered in Assam, the Assam Police continued their crackdown on Sunday, arresting over 2,200 people for marrying or facilitating child marriages.
THE CABINET’S CHOICE
The arrests are a result of the Assam Cabinet’s decision to file charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act against men who marry girls under the age of 14. Those who marry girls between the ages of 14 and 18 will be prosecuted under the 2006 Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.
The violators will be arrested, and the marriages will be deemed unlawful.
Chief Minister Himanta Sarma Biswa stated that men who marry girls younger than 14 will face non-bailable charges, while those who marry girls between 14 and 16 will face bailable charges. If the groom is younger than 14 years old, he will be sent to a reform institution.
Assam Cabinet’s initiative aims to reduce child marriage
The Assam Cabinet’s initiative aims to reduce child marriage and early motherhood in the state.
According to the National Family Health Survey, child marriage is the primary cause of the high maternal and infant mortality rates in Assam.
The NFHS found that an average of 31 percent of marriages registered in the state involve individuals in the prohibited age range.
According to the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) 2019-21, approximately 11.7% of women aged 15 to 19 in Assam were mothers or pregnant at the time of the survey.
THE ACTION SO FAR
Saturday, Himanta Biswa Sarma, chief minister of Assam, stated that the campaign against child marriage would continue until the 2026 assembly elections. He stated that parents involved in marriages between minors are currently given a warning.
Over 4,074 cases of child marriage have been reported in the district, and 2,278 people have been arrested for either marrying minor girls or performing child marriages.
Sarma also shared data on child marriages registered in the district on his Twitter account. Sarma stated that he has instructed the police to have zero tolerance for cases of child marriage.
The chief minister of Assam stated that over 8,000 individuals who have married minor girls or facilitated child marriages have been identified. In addition to the over 2,200 people who have already been arrested, Sarma stated that an additional 3,500 people would be subject to action.
Sarma has stated that the campaign against child marriage will continue until the 2026 assembly elections.
As of Sunday evening, at least 139 people had been apprehended in Biswanath, 130 in Barpeta, and 126 in Dhubri, according to an Assam Police statement.
Other districts where over 100 arrests have been made include Baksa (123), Bongaigaon (117), and Hojai (117).
Total arrest so far – 2441. Crackdown against Child marriage continues in #assam https://t.co/zSfSG1xN1I
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (Modi Ka Parivar) (@himantabiswa) February 6, 2023
ASSAM AFFECTED THE MOST BY CHILD MARRIAGE
At least 139 individuals have been captured in Biswanath, 130 in Barpeta, and 126 in Dhubri.
Dhubri registered 374 FIRs against child marriages, followed by Hojai with 255 cases and Morigaon with 224 cases. Other districts with over 100 arrests include Baksa (123), Bongaigaon, and Hojai (117 each).
The Assam government may have introduced a policy with the best of intentions, but it has not been well received by the state’s women, particularly those from Dhubri, the district with the highest number of child marriage cases.
Saturday, as police came to arrest their husbands and sons, a large number of women descended upon the streets of Dhubri. The women gathered in front of the police station in Tamarha and demanded the release of their loved ones.
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Even Asaduddin Owaisi, the leader of the AIMIM, lashed out at the Assam chief minister, demanding to know what would happen to the minor girls whose husbands had been arrested and jailed. He criticised Sarma for being ‘biassed’ and described the move as a ‘administrative failure’ for the state, given that the BJP-led government has ruled Assam for six years and is now taking this action.
