61 cases of child marriage registered in Gujarat in five years

AHMEDABAD: Data provided by the Union government in the recently concluded parliament session reveals that that 61 cases have been registered under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006, in Gujarat over the past five years ending 2021.
While six and eight cases of child marriage were registered in 2017 and 2018 respectively, the number grew to 20, 15 and 12 in the subsequent three years, 2019, 2020 and 2021. However, government data reflects a steady decrease in such cases in Gujarat from 2019 to 2021. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, the Union government said, "Instances have come to the notice that some sections of society continue to indulge in the practice of child marriage in the name of custom, practices and/or religious beliefs, etc. In some cases, writ petitions have also been filed before honorable courts of law for upholding the validity of marriage of a minor girl on these grounds under personal laws."
Across the country, the number of cases registered under the PCMA, 2006 during the last five years i.e., 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 are 395, 501, 523, 785 and 1050 respectively.
"However, higher reporting of cases does not necessarily reflect increase in the number of cases of child marriage, but it may be because of increased awareness among citizens to report such incidents due to the initiatives taken by the government and better enforcement of law," the written reply said. tnn