The number of arrests in India in raids into illegal child marriages has exceeded 4,800. “We will continue to take bold steps to end this social evil,” officials said. India is home to more than 220 million child brides, according to the United Nations, but the number of child marriages has decreased significantly this century. Many parents marry off their children in the hope of increasing their financial security, causing irreparable damage to their lives.
A crackdown on illegal child marriages in northeastern India has reportedly resulted in nearly 5,000 arrests, with 416 people taken into custody in the latest police operation. “We will continue to take bold steps to end this social evil,” Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. “The fight against child marriage continues,” he said, adding that raids were carried out throughout the night and those arrested would appear in court on Sunday.
THERE ARE 220 MILLION CHILD BRIDES India is home to more than 220 million child brides, according to the United Nations, but the number of child marriages has fallen significantly this century. Assam state had previously arrested thousands of people, including parents of married couples and registrars who signed off on the engagements of minors, in a drive to annul the marriages that began in February 2023. The number of those arrested in this incident has exceeded 4,800.
THEY ARE BEING MARRIED FOR FINANCIAL SECURITY
The legal age for marriage in India is 18, but millions of children are married off at a younger age, especially in poor rural areas. Many parents marry their children off in the hope of increasing their financial security.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF EARLY MARRIAGE ARE DESTROYING The consequences can be devastating; girls drop out of school to cook and clean for their husbands and suffer health problems from giving birth at a young age. In a landmark decision in 2017, India’s top court ruled that having sex with an underage partner constitutes rape.
