Decline in child marriages in India as more cases reported: NCPCR

New Delhi, Oct 10
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has come out with a comprehensive annual report for 2023-24 on prohibition of child marriage in India.

NCPCR has prioritised the issue of child marriage and has been conducting review meetings focused on its prevention for the past three years within the framework of competitive-cooperative federalism.

This has resulted in a significant impact as during this period, reporting of child marriages has increased while the number of cases has shown a notable decline.

NCPCR, while performing its function as per Section 13(1) (a) of the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005, conducted a series of virtual review meetings over the course of one month with key stakeholders from all the States and Union Territories (UTs).

These meetings focused on the prevention of child marriages under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, with the aim of advancing social objectives and contributing to the formulation and implementation of welfare policies for children within the framework of competitive-cooperative federalism.

The findings of the report compile data from 596 districts across 27 States and seven UTs.

The NCPCR is further mandated to monitor the proper and effective implementation of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012; Juvenile Justice (Careand Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and Right to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.

NCPCR is a statutory body that works to safeguard the rights of children. It was established in 2007 under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005, and operates under the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

NCPCR ensures that laws, policies, and programmes conform to the rights of the child as outlined in the Constitution of India as well as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Monitoring.

The body is also tasked with reviewing safeguards for child rights and recommending ways to implement them. It also reports annually to the Central government on the effectiveness of these safeguards.