What measures have been taken by the government to prevent child marriage?

The Union Government has endeavoured to curb the practice in recent years through repealing Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929 and bringing in a more progressive Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 that includes punitive measures against those who perform, permit and promote child marriage.

What are the laws to prevent child marriage?

—Whoever, being a male adult above eighteen years of age, contracts a child marriage shall be punishable with rigorous imprisonment which may extend to two years or with fine which may extend to one lakh rupees or with both.

Is child marriage illegal in Africa?

Child marriage is a human rights violation taking place on a vast scale in West and Central Africa which disproportionately affect girls. Due to the social, health and economic impacts of child marriage, the practice is a major obstacle to sustainable development.

What are factors responsible for child marriage?

Causes of child marriages include poverty, bride price, dowry, cultural traditions, religious and social pressures, regional customs, fear of the child remaining unmarried into adulthood, illiteracy, and perceived inability of women to work for money.

How do you spread awareness about child marriage?

In order to reach out to the local people, the three-tier system consisting of the Child Development Project Officers, Supervisors and Anganwadi workers under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) could be used to spread awareness against child marriages by the DWCD.

What age do girls marry in Africa?

18
Children marry as young as 7 and 8 years old. The U.N. estimates that every day around 37,000 girls under the age of 18 are married.

How many girls are married off?

According to the UN, 37,000 girls under the age of 18 are married each day. We now have the greatest number of married girls and girls at-risk of child marriage than ever before.

How can we stop child marriage in Africa?

UNICEF suggests the outcome can be attributed to concerted efforts in “increasing rates of girls’ education, proactive government investments in adolescent girls, and strong public messaging around the illegality of child marriage and the harm it causes”. Considerable reductions have also been recorded in Eastern and Southern Africa.

Should child marriage be at the centre of national development plans?

Child marriage should be at the centre of national development plans and policies. National action plans to end child marriage and respond to the needs of married girls are critical to enabling different interventions led by different sectors to support one another.

What is the legal age of marriage in Africa?

Although many African countries have established 18 as the minimum age of marriage for both boys and girls, weak enforcement has meant these laws have had little impact. Police may not have adequate training on dealing with these cases, do not see it as their job to prevent child marriages, or defer to the parents’ wishes.

What can the government do to solve the child marriage problem?

Further, governments must commit to providing young people with sexual and reproductive health services to reduce teenage pregnancy – an issue that feeds into the child marriage problem. Parents will often ‘solve’ the issue of teenage pregnancy by forcing their daughters to marry.