NEW DELHI: Poverty or poor financial condition is the most dominant driver of child marriage, according to a new report, citing responses by 91% respondents. It, however, noted that there has been a decline in cases at village level over past three years. Out of 757 villages across 15 districts in Bihar, Rajasthan, Assam, Karnataka and Maharashtra surveyed for the report, 707 reported instances of child marriage. The villages were randomly selected from the database of NGO network ‘Just Rights for Childrens’, which works on the issue.During the survey, 1,042 respondents, including panchayti raj institution members, school teachers, anganwadi workers and NGO staff, were interviewed. The report prepared by Centre for Legal Action and Behavioural Change for Children was released on Thursday at a side event of UNGA in New York.The report also put out estimates that show number of cases involving girls marrying before 18 declined from 3,861 in 2022-23 to 2,379 in 2023-24 to 1,195 in 2024-25. The number for boys marrying before 21 years also dipped from 2,040 in 2022-23 to 1,152 in 2023-24 to 568 in 2024-25. The report said 44% respondents linked child marriage to protection for girls and 28% to purity or virginity. Factors which lead to child marriage also include limited parental awareness or intellectual maturity (28% respondents), inadequate educational opportunities for girls (27%), and restricted occupational prospects (21%), securing a good match (33% ), cultural or traditional practices (20%), controlling sexual behavior and premarital pregnancy (15%), perceiving girls as a burden (15%).Nearly all respondents identified awareness campaigns and compulsory education as most impactful interventions to prevent child marriage. “India stands on the brink of ending child marriage and proving to the world that ending it is both possible and inevitable. The formula is clear: prevention before protection, protection before prosecution, and prosection to create deterrence for prevention,” Just Rights for Children founder Bhuwan Ribhu said.
