During a cabinet meeting, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma said no man can marry a girl below the age of 14, prompting a decision to prosecute the men under POCSO Act.
The Chief Minister said the Child Marriage Prohibition Act, 2006 will be used to prosecute men who marry girls between the ages of 14 and 18 and necessary legal action will be taken against them.
According to sources, maternal mortality and infant mortality rates are high in the state, and health professionals link this to child marriage. In Assam an average of 31% marriages take place at the “prohibited age”.
The POCSO Act of 2012 defines a child as a person below the age of 18 and criminalizes sex between a minor and an adult. The legal age of marriage is 18 years for girl and 21 years for boy.
Child Protection Officers will be designated in villages of the State; Also, according to the decision, Gram panchayat secretary will be responsible for child marriage in those villages.
Assam Police has been ordered to launch a state-wide crackdown on child marriage protocols.
