Rajasthan leads in child marriages

• National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has released data on incidences of child marriage in India.

Highlights of the report:

• Rajasthan has reported the highest incidence of child marriages in India.
• The study, based on the 2011 Census, states that 2.5% of marriages of minor girls were reported in Rajasthan, which is followed by 15 States, including Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Sikkim, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Nagaland, Assam, Maharashtra, Tripura, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Karnataka.
• Rajasthan also topped in the percentage (4.69%) of boys marrying below the legal age of 21 years. Thirteen other States reported a higher percentage of child marriages among boys when compared with the national average.
• This study is released by Justice A.K. Sikri of the Supreme Court.
• According to the Census study, 12.9% of girls got married in the age of 10-17 years and 43.6% between 18-20 years. However, only 4.9% of boys got married in the 10-17 years age group and 11.2 % in the 18-below 21 age group.
• The study shows a minor decline of 0.1% in the marriage of minor girls. The decline in rural India, between 2001 and 2011 Census was marginally higher than in the whole of the country.

By: Vishal