Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that his government will intensify its efforts to eradicate child marriages in the state.
He said that special crackdown drive on child marriage in Assam would be carried out every six months.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma stated: “Our campaign and tough action against child marriage will continue.”
“Every six months a special drive will be conducted, and the DGP has been instructed to conduct a preliminary survey for the next crackdown on child marriages in November-December this year.”
This statement follows a report by the India Child Protection (ICP), which revealed a significant reduction in child marriage cases in Assam.
81 percent drop in child marriages in Assam, claims report
The Assam government’s initiative to combat child marriages has produced remarkable results, according to the India Child Protection (ICP) report titled Towards Justice: Ending Child Marriage.
The report reveals an impressive 81 percent reduction in child marriage cases across 20 districts of Assam between 2021-22 and 2023-24.
The ICP’s findings, based on data from the national crime records bureau (NCRB) and surveys conducted in 1132 villages of Assam
Notably, the districts of Jorhat and Nagaon in Assam, according to the report, have completely eradicated child marriages.
The data shows that 30 percent of the surveyed villages have fully eliminated child marriages, while 40 percent have seen a substantial decrease.
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Over 90 percent of respondents attribute the success to stringent measures implemented by the Assam government, including arrests and the filing of FIRs.
Furthermore, nearly 98 percent of Assamese residents believe that prosecution is crucial to ending the practice.
In response to the report, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated: “This exceptional report… is a shining testament to our sustained efforts in empowering Nari Shakti.”
“With over 3000 arrests and our zero-tolerance approach, we have achieved an 81% decline in child marriages since 2021,” said CM Sarma.
The Assam chief minister added: “We will not rest until we eliminate this social evil.”
Recently, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma pledged to eradicate child marriage in Assam by 2026.