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Guwahati, November 26 (IANS): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday underscored a "major turnaround" in the state's battle against child marriage, saying a combination of stringent enforcement and systemic reforms has led to significant declines in the underage marriages and boosted legal accountability.
CM Sarma claimed that according to NFHS‑4 (2015-16) data, 31.8 per cent of women in Assam aged 20–24 were married before turning 18 - a rate that exceeded the national average.
Moreover, district-level fact sheets had recorded alarming prevalence in districts such as Dhubri, South Salmara, Barpeta and Nagaon, as high as 40–55 per cent.
However, the state now claims a decisive shift. Between 2023 and 2024 alone, more than 8,600 arrests were made in coordinated crackdowns under both the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA).
According to the Chief Minister, in 2022 the number of cases registered stood at 224, sharply up from just 149 in 2021, indicating a steep rise in enforcement.
CM Sarma said, "Beyond arrests, Assam has formed district-level task forces, headed by superintendents of police, to track and intercept impending child marriages. Community-level workers - including ASHAs, Anganwadi staff and schoolteachers - are now required to report suspected cases in real time."
"Several districts have also reportedly established digital databases and child-protection tracking mechanisms," he added.
The CM claimed that these measures have borne fruit: In hotspot districts, the incidence of child marriage fell by 8–17 per cent within a year, and more than 3,000 planned child marriages were prevented in 2023–24 alone.
Notably, the Assam government's recent actions - from sustained crackdowns to setting up institutional safeguards - reflect a far more aggressive stance on child marriage than seen in earlier years, when the practice was largely treated as a social issue rather than a crime.
