The campaign to abolish child marriage was launched in Assam in February 2023. So far, thousands of parents of married couples and registrars who have signed off on engagements with minors have been arrested.
”We will continue to take bold steps to put an end to this social evil”, says Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Minister of the state of Assam, in a statement.
Sarma is campaigning to eradicate child marriage completely in his state by 2026 at the latest.
According to the UN, there are more than 220 million child brides in India, but the number of child marriages has decreased dramatically over the past few decades.
The legal age of marriage in India is 18 years, but millions of children are forced to marry at a younger age, especially in poorer rural areas.
