Assam has recorded a 54% drop in child marriages since 2023, thanks to strong police action and legal reforms, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma announced. The state has also achieved a 63% reduction in teenage pregnancies, with zero cases of child marriage reported in 30% of villages across Assam. This update was further shared by the official X account of the Chief Minister’s Office, Government of Assam.
“We have a clear goal of zero child marriage in Assam by 2026. Assam’s stern action against child marriage has resulted in a drastic decline in child marriage and teenage pregnancy in the state, which now is a nationwide success story,” the Chief Minister said.
Three crackdowns against child marriage have been conducted so far. The first crackdown was launched in February 2023, the second in October that year, and the third in December last year. Over 5,000 individuals, including those who married underage girls or encouraged or solemnised child marriage, were arrested altogether in the three operations. Over 96% of the 5,523 cases were chargesheeted, and the state has appointed child marriage prohibition officers to prevent such cases.
The India Child Protection (ICP), in its report ‘Towards Justice: Ending Child Marriage’, stated that an 81% reduction in child marriages was observed across 20 districts of Assam between 2021-22 and 2023-24 due to effective legal interventions by the state. ICP attributed the notable decline to Assam’s robust legal actions against child marriage. The Director General of Police recently submitted before the Gauhati High Court that the state police maintain zero tolerance for crimes committed against women and children, and such cases are regularly supervised.
