More than 1,800 people have been detained in an operation against child marriages in the northeastern Indian state of Assam.
ZERO TOLERANCE
Assamese Prime Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a post on his social media account that the authorities will act in a “spirit of zero tolerance for unforgivable and heinous crime” against women.
Stating that more than 1800 people were detained throughout Assam in the operations carried out regarding marriages under the age of 18, Sarma said that religious officials who performed marriages in these marriages were also targeted by the authorities.
Rajib Sharma, director of the non-governmental organization “Global Organization for Life Development”, headquartered in Assam, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that child marriages are more than a tradition.
Explaining that there are tribes and minorities in the society and that they marry their daughters at a young age, Sharma cited poverty, ignorance and the inadequacy of government measures among the causes of child marriages in Assam.
ACTION WILL BE TAKEN ON MEN MARRIED WITH GIRLS UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE.
Assamese Prime Minister Sarma announced yesterday that 4,000 child marriages in Assam in the last 9 days will be discussed.
The Assam government announced in January that legal proceedings would be initiated against men marrying girls under the age of 18.
In 2019, research by the Assam government revealed that about 32 percent of girls in the province were married before the age of 18, and about 12 percent gave birth at the age of 18. (AA)