New Delhi. The conviction rate in the Child Marriage Act in the country is quite worrying. According to a report by the India Child Protection (ICP) Research Team, the conviction rate in child marriage cases in the country is only 11 percent. According to this, the number of child marriage cases registered in the last five years is less than the number of girl child marriages taking place in the country in one day. This report has been released by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

Slow rate of resolution of cases

According to the report, out of a total of 3,563 child marriage cases listed for hearing in courts under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act in 2022, hearing was completed in only 181 cases. That is, 3,365 cases are still pending today. It is estimated that it may take 19 years to settle the pending cases by 2022. In 2022, on an average, only one case of child marriage per district was registered for prosecution.

Assam performed better

Assam has performed much better in controlling child marriage. The state has seen an 81 percent reduction in child marriage cases between 2021-22 and 2023-24. The incidence of child marriage in the villages of Assam included in the study has come down from 3,225 cases in 2021-22 to 627 cases in 2023-24.

Need strict law

According to the report, 98 percent of the respondents from the villages of Assam surveyed believed that strict laws have reduced child marriage within their communities. The Assam government has been running a massive campaign against child marriage for the last few years. The Assam Cabinet had decided a few months ago that those who marry girls below the age of 14 will be booked under the POCSO Act.