Mumbai: The Maharashtra state government on Monday reported that the state has registered more than 15,000 child marriages in the last three years, most of which are from the tribal areas of the state. The state government presented these statistics during a Public Interest Litigation hearing at the Bombay High Court alleging non-implementation of the Child Marriage Prevention Act in the state.
Among the tribal areas, the Nandurbar district has recorded the highest number of child marriages with 10,861 child deaths, Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbakoni told the High Court on behalf of the state government. He informed that out of the 15,000 the state government had succeeded in preventing 1,541 child marriages. The bench, headed by Justice Virendrasinh Bisht, expressed concern over the large number and asked about possible measures for its prevention. The Advocate General said that the state government needs the help of petitioners and social organizations for this.
The bench was also informed that a three-member committee of experts has been constituted for Melghat and other tribal areas as per the court order. The committee reportedly surveyed 16 tribal districts where the child marriages rate was the highest, as mentioned in the said report. Kumbakoni said that the state had also taken the help of Anganwadi women and Asha Workers to carry out the survey.
The Advocate General further reiterated that child marriage is one of the main causes of malnutrition and appealed to the petitioners to help the state deal with the adverse effects of child marriage and personal rights of children and girls. The bench, in response to Kumbakoni's appeal, brought attention to the seat of the Chairman of the Child Rights Commission, which has been lying vacant for the last two years. The bench highlighted that filling the post should be the first priority towards solving the problems that persist.
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