Assam tops in child marriage decline; CM honored with ‘Champions of Change’ award

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Assam is leading the nation with the steepest decline in child marriage, recording an 84 per cent drop in cases among girls and a 91 per cent drop among boys in the past three years, far surpassing the national average, reveals a report released during a side event at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Thursday.

The report, Tipping Point to Zero: Evidence Toward a Child Marriage Free India, released by Just Rights for Children (JRC), notes that at the national level, child marriages declined by 69 per cent among girls and 72 per cent among boys. In terms of decline in child marriages among girls in five surveyed states, Assam is followed by Maharashtra and Bihar (70% each), Rajasthan (66%), and Karnataka (55%). The study attributes Assam’s remarkable progress to the state government’s ‘zero tolerance’ approach, strict legal action, and coordinated efforts with the Central government and civil society organisations over the past three years.

The report is prepared by the Centre for Legal Action and Behaviour Change for Children (C-LAB), an initiative of JRC Partner India Child Protection. Recognizing Assam’s unprecedented success in curbing child marriage, Just Rights for Children also announced the ‘Champions of Change’ Award for Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma. Just Rights for Children is one of the largest networks, with over 250 NGOs working for child protection, and in Assam alone its 8 NGO partners are working in 30 of the state’s 35 districts.

The findings reveal that while all respondents identified awareness campaigns as the most effective tool in reducing child marriages, 76% cited prosecution through FIRs and arrests as the second most important factor behind Assam’s sharp decline. However, knowledge of specialized mechanisms such as the Child Welfare Committee and help lines remained low at 31 and 22 per cent, respectively.

The report also credited the government measures, apart from the legal crackdown, for this decline in child marriages. “The Assam government has also initiated measures to counter child marriage, including the Nijut Moina 2.0 Scheme, which provides financial support to girls pursuing education and strengthens incentives to delay marriage,” the report points out.

The report found that 99 per cent of the respondents in Assam reported being aware of the child marriage laws and credited TV/radio and NGOs as the top sources of their legal information at 92 per cent and 76 per cent, respectively. Also, the report revealed an almost universal awareness (99%) of the Government of India’s ‘Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat’ campaign launched in 2024. “88 percent of the respondents identified NGOs as the lead facilitator of the campaign and pledges against child marriage,” the report said. Remarkably, 95 per cent of respondents also reported having taken the pledge against child marriage during the campaign in the state.

Lauding Assam’s tough stance against child marriage, Ravi Kant, National Convenor, Just Rights for Children, said, “Assam has shown that when law is enforced without compromise and communities act with conviction, even a deeply entrenched crime like child marriage can be dismantled within years. While India shows the world the path to end this practice, Assam stands as the torchbearer, proving that legal deterrence backed by awareness paves the way to a Child Marriage Free India.”

The report is based on field data from 757 villages from five states selected zone-wise and adopted the multistage stratified random sampling. In Assam, 150 villages were surveyed, and frontline service providers such as ASHA, Anganwadi workers, school teachers, auxiliary nurse midwives, Panchayat Raj Institution members, etc., were engaged.

Also Read: Here’s why obesity affects people differently

Also Watch: