Parliament Question: Effectiveness of Child Marriage Prevention Mechanisms

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2342 TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.02.2026 EFFECTIVENESS OF CHILD MARRIAGE PREVENTION MECHANISMS 2342. SHRI PUSHPENDRA SAROJ: Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state: (a) the number of complaints/alerts/reports relating to child marriages received through Childline, district authorities/other reporting channels in Uttar Pradesh during the last three years, district-wise; (b) the number of cases where preventive action was taken before the marriage along with the number of cases where intervention occurred after the marriage had already taken place; (c) the details of the average time between receipt of information and field-level intervention in such cases; (d) the number of instances where failures to act on prior information were recorded along with the accountability fixed on officials/institutions; and (e) the details of the steps being taken to strengthen early-warning systems, inter- departmental coordination and time-bound response to prevent child marriages in the said State? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR) (a) to (e): The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) compiles and publishes data on cases of child marriage registered under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006 in its annual publication Crime in India. The report is available up to the year 2023, with details provided crime-head wise and State and UT-wise. As per the information available with NCRB, the number of cases registered, cases charge-sheeted, cases convicted, persons arrested, persons charge-sheeted, and persons convicted under the PCMA in Uttar Pradesh during 2021– 2023 is enclosed at Annexure.The Government of India has enacted ‘The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006’ (PCMA) to prevent and curb child marriages and to take punitive action against those associated with the solemnisation of child marriages. Section 16 of the PCMA authorises the State Government to appoint for the whole State, or such part thereof as may be specified, an officer or officers to be known as the 'Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPO)' having jurisdiction over the area or areas specified in the notification. This section also specifies the functions to be discharged by CMPOs, which include preventing solemnisation of child marriages by taking such action as they may deem fit; to collect evidence for the effective prosecution of persons contravening the provisions of the Act; to advise the individuals or counsel the residents of the locality not to indulge in promoting, helping, aiding or allowing the solemnisation of child marriages; to create awareness about the ill effects of child marriages; and to sensitize the community on the issue of child marriages. All these authorities function under the direct administrative control and supervision of respective State Governments and UT Administrations. Further, to strengthen implementation of the Act and accelerate progress towards elimination of child marriage, the Government launched a national campaign ‘Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat on 27th November 2024, with the objective of making India child-marriage-free. It is one of the most important imperatives to promote education, skilling, enterprise and entrepreneurship among girls and women to realise the vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ through ‘whole of government’ and ‘whole of society’ approach. The campaign aims to create awareness for prevention of child marriage, enhance involvement of parents, families, and communities, strengthen the role and capacity of CMPOs, encourage timely reporting of child marriage cases, and identify adolescent girls who are school dropouts or at risk of child marriage to ensure their education, skilling, and empowerment. To commemorate the success of the campaign and further intensify efforts, a 100 Days Special Campaign under Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat was launched on 4th December 2025 to mobilise all stakeholders in a structured and time-bound manner. The 100 Days Special Campaign focuses on targeted outreach to institutions, community leaders and service provider, along with mandatory uploading of details of Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) on the BVMB Portal. The campaign follows a spell-wise thematic implementation plan. Spell–I (27th November, 2025 to 31st December, 2025) focuses on sensitisation activities in schools, colleges anduniversities through debates, essay competitions and pledge ceremonies. Spell–II (1st January, 2026 to 31st January, 2026) focuses on engagement with religious institutions and marriage- related service providers, including temples, mosques, caterers, tent houses and DJs, to discourage child marriage and display IEC materials. Spell–III (1st February, 2026 to 8th March, 2026) focuses on mobilisation of Gram Panchayats and Municipal Wards for passing resolutions declaring their jurisdictions as child-marriage-free. A dedicated digital platform, the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat portal (https://stopchildmarriage.wcd.gov.in), facilitates reporting of child marriage incidents, dissemination of information, and registration of pledges. Citizens, institutions, and public representatives can take the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat pledge on the dedicated portal as well as through the MyGov portal, promoting wide participation. As on 11.02.2026, awareness programmes have reached over 7.75 crore citizens, and more than 31.75 lakh pledges against child marriage have been registered on the portal, reflecting strong community engagement and active participation across the country. The BVMB portal serves as a centralised repository of more than 61,900 CMPOs across States and Union Territories. This provides citizens with an efficient reporting mechanism, where early reporting enables timely intervention to prevent child marriages. As on 12.02.2026, the total number of incidences reported on the portal are 2600 out of which 2353 i.e. more than 90 percent have been prevented. Further, preventing child marriage is a critical mandate under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, wherein a child at imminent risk of marriage before attaining the legal age is defined as a “child in need of care and protection.” The Child Welfare Committees (CWCs), empowered under Sections 27–30 of the Act, are entrusted to take decisions in the best interest of such children, ensuring their safety, dignity, and well-being. The Ministry of Women and Child Development, through its Centrally Sponsored Scheme Mission Vatsalya, supports both institutional and non-institutional care services, including sponsorship, foster care, and after care, to safeguard vulnerable children. The Central Government undertakes awareness drives, media campaigns and outreach programs and issues advisories to the States and UTs from time to time to highlight evil effects of this practice. Further, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) implements the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) component under the umbrella scheme of 'Mission Shakti', wherein creation of awareness on matters pertaining to gender equality and discouraging child marriage is an important focus area. The National Commission forProtection of Child Rights (NCPCR) also undertakes awareness programs and consultations with stakeholders from time to time in this regard. The National Legal Services Authority with its States and District arms also creates awareness about the ill- effects of child marriage. NALSA has issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to its functionaries for effective prevention of child marriages in coordination with the statutory officers and other authorities. It also has a dedicated helpline 15100 which provides free legal aid to the specified sections of citizens including women and children. In addition, Government of India has introduced Child Helpline with short code 1098, a toll- free 24X7X365 telephone emergency outreach service for children in crisis which responds with suitable interventions to call for any form of assistance which a child requires, including for prevention of child marriages, in coordination with police, CMPOs, District Child Protection Units etc. The Child Helpline has also been integrated with Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112) to provide for 24x7x365 emergency response, resources and services. In addition, the services of Women Helpline (181), which is integrated with the ERSS is also available round the clock to provide emergency and non- emergency assistance. While the Ministry provides policy and schematic support, the responsibility to prohibit and prevent child marriages lies primarily with the respective State Governments and Union Territory Administrations, as ‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ are State subjects under the Constitution, making them competent to act against such offences under existing laws. *****Annexure ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (E) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2342 FOR ANSWER ON 13.02.2026 REGARDING ‘EFFECTIVENESS OF CHILD MARRIAGE PREVENTION MECHANISMS’. Cases Registered (CR), Cases Charge-sheeted (CCS), Cases Convicted (CON), Persons Arrested (PAR), Persons Charge-sheeted (PCS) and Persons Convicted (PCV) under Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 in Uttar Pradesh during 2021-2023 Sl. No. Years CR CCS CON PAR PCS PCV 1 2021 6 4 0 13 16 0 2 2022 17 15 1 48 61 1 3 2023 15 13 0 61 73 0