Assam’s campaign against child and forced marriage gains momentum after UN declares global observance day

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The Chief Minister, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, received a significant boost when the UNO declared November 27 as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage.

Reacting to the development on social media today, the Chief Minister said, "The United Nations has also acknowledged what we have been firmly saying in Assam since our last tenure - whether it is child marriage or forced marriage, there is no place for such crimes in our society. It is imperative to take strict action against it."

He said, "The UN's declaration of 27th November as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage has further strengthened the global fight against this social evil. The results of the firm and fearless campaign that Assam has been running against child marriage in the last few years are now clearly visible."

The Chief Minister said that authorities registered over 12,000 child marriage cases in the state, leading to the arrest of over 11,000 people. He said that incidents of child marriages have been reduced by 81 per cent in 20 districts in the state, besides a significant reduction in the teenage pregnancy rate and a notable increase in the enrolment rate of girl students in higher education.

"Surprisingly and coincidentally, even before this announcement from the UN, we had declared that November would be recognised as a month for an uncompromising campaign against child and forced marriages. We will not spare any criminal and will bring every criminal who destroys the future of our daughters before the law. This declaration of the UN has once again proved that this fight in Assam was not an isolated effort. In a state with a population of about 3.5 crores, the fight we started against crime is actually part of a larger fight against a serious problem facing the whole world," the Chief Minister said.

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