In a significant move to intensify the fight against child marriage, the Assam government has officially designated district child protection officers (DCPOs) as child marriage prohibition officers. The decision, announced through a notification from the Women and Child Development Department, is aimed at strengthening enforcement and accelerating the state’s mission to eliminate child marriage by 2026.
Under their new designation, these officers will be empowered to file FIRs against offenders under the POCSO Act (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences), further equipping them to take swift legal action against those involved in facilitating or conducting underage marriages.
The crackdown on child marriages in Assam began in February 2023 and was reinitiated with greater intensity in October 2023. Since then, over 5,000 individuals have been arrested across the state. The arrested include husbands, parents, kazis, and others involved in the illegal act. Assam Police have filed charge sheets in 96% of these cases, showing a strong commitment to legal follow-through.
The campaign in Assam has also created a ripple effect nationwide. Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly praised the Assam government’s actions and urged other states to adopt similar measures to combat the social evil of child marriage.
Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma reported that these stringent measures have resulted in a 54% drop in child marriages in the state since the campaign began. This decline has had a cascading positive impact, including a 63% reduction in teenage pregnancies. Consequently, the infant mortality rate has also decreased. He highlighted a remarkable achievement, noting that 30% of villages in Assam have reported zero cases of child marriage.
The urgency of the crackdown is underscored by findings from a report titled “Toward Justice: Ending Child Marriage.” The report cited 2011 Census data indicating that 4,442 girls under the age of 18 were married every day in India—equivalent to 185 child marriages per hour.
With the DCPOs now vested with broader legal authority, Assam aims to build on its success and eliminate child marriage from the state entirely by the targeted year of 2026.
