Smriti Irani hints at amending Child Marriage Act, says underage pregnancy biggest concern

Speaking on the trend of early marriages in India, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani hinted at the possibility of bringing changes to the Child Marriage Act. She also informed that the ministry has requested NITI Aayog to maintain 'ease of living' data for women and children.

New Delhi:Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani on Monday hinted that her ministry is discussing the possibility of amending the Child Marriage Act.

She said, "Unlike Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which has mandatory reporting, there is no such mandatory reporting in Child Marriage Act. We are looking at those kinds of interventions in the act itself and discussing the possibility of amending it."

Speaking on the trend of early marriages in India, Smriti Irani said, "Data shows that 21% of Indian girls get pregnant under the age of 18 years. We are engaging with the chief ministers of the state to check this issue."

Smriti Irani was speaking at the 'Northern Regional Workshop on Best Practices and Innovations from Poshan Abhiyan'. The two-day event, which commenced on November 25, was held in New Delhi.

"POCSO had mandatory reporting clause and thus, a lot of cases came to the fore. This led to a greater awareness among the people. We need something similar in the Child Marriage Act. Our biggest concern is that 21% of girls living in the rural, as well as urban areas, get pregnant before the age of 18," added Smriti Irani.

Speaking about the amendments which can be brought in the Child Marriage Act, she said that her ministry is discussing the provision through which every person responsible for marrying a girl before the age of 18 years gets arrested.

Notably, the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, was enacted by the Parliament repealing the age-old Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929. Since the colonial law did not work in eradicating child marriage in the country, the new law was enacted.

Irani also informed that the ministry has requested NITI Aayog to maintain 'ease of living' data for women and children.

"We have also urged the body to start giving grades to the states based on that data, as this kind of comparative analysis pushes governance," she added.