- According to the UNICEF report, published on March 6, India saw a sharp decline of 20 percent in child marriages in the last decade.
- The report says that, s against 47 percent of the girls getting married before the age of 18, in 2005-06, 27 percent girls are getting married, in 2015-2016 in India.
- World level: At world stage, the proportion of girls who were married as children decreased by 15 percent in the last decade.The drop in India has contributed significantly to a global decline in child marriages.
- As per the UNICEF, 25 million child marriages were prevented globally in the decade of 2005-06 to 2015-16.
- South Asia: The largest reduction in child marriage was seen in South Asia with India being at the forefront.
- In South Asia, the number of girls marrying before the age of 18 has dropped by more than a third, from nearly 50 percent to 30 percent, in large part due to progress in India.
- Causes behind decline: The UNESCO attributed increasing rates of girls’ education, proactive government investments in adolescent girls and strong public awareness about the illegality of child marriage and the harm it causes are among the reasons for the decline.
- Child marriage prevalence measures what percentage of all women aged 20-24 were first married before age 18.
- Concern area: The report says the despite improvement, many districts of India, still have very high rates of child marriage, with the problem more pronounced in tribal communities and in particular castes including Scheduled Castes.
- It states that the highest prevalence rates of child marriage, up to 40%, are in Bihar, West Bengal and Rajasthan, while Tamil Nadu and Kerala have prevalence below 20%.
Child Marriage Prevalent rates
- Country Under 15 Under 18
- Chad 30% (Highest) 67%
- Niger 22% 75% (Highest)
- Bangladesh 22% 59%
- Nepal 7% 40%
- India 7% 27%
- Bhutan 6% 26%
- Pakistan 3% 21%
