Sarma vows to end child marriage menace in Assam, says 4,004 registered

Last month, Himanta Biswa Sarma had said that women should not wait too long to embrace motherhood. He said that the ideal age to become mothers is in the age of 22-30

Guwahati, Feb 02: Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma said in Guwahati that the government is firm in its resolve to end the problem of child marriage menace in the state.

Sarma urged the people to cooperate in this drive and added that the action on the 4,004 registered cases would begin on February 3.

Sarma took to Twitter to announce, "Assam Govt is firm in its resolve to end the menace of child marriage in the state. So far @assampolice has registered 4,004 cases across the state and more police is likely in the days ahead. Action on the cases will be begin from February 2. I request all to cooperate."

According to the data shared by the Assam CM, most child marriage cases were registered in the Dhubri District (37), while the least were reported from Hailakandi.

In all 123 cases were registered in Bongaigaon, while 35 were registered in Cachar. 125 cases were registered in Darang, 75 in Dibrugarh, 157 in Goalpara, 255 in Hojai, 80 in Kamrup, 204 in Kokrajhar, 112 in Nagaon, 224 in Morigaon, and 110 in Tamilput.

The cases were registered under the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act of 2012. The act defines a child as an individual under the age of 18. It also criminalises sex between an underage child and an adult.

If the bride is in the age group of 14 to 18, cases are registered under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, the Chief Minister had said at a press conference last month.

On January 28, Sarma had said that women should not wait too long to become mothers. He suggested that motherhood should be embraced at the appropriate age of 22 to 30 years.

It may lead to medical complications, if it is delayed. The appropriate age for embracing motherhood should be 22-30 years, Sarma had also said.

The statement came in the backdrop the crackdown against child marriage. He said child marriages are the reason behind the prevalence of child pregnancy, which leads to high rate of maternal and infant mortalities in the state.

The CM after distributing the appointment letters to over 1,200 candidates of the Health and Family Welfare Department and Assam Police driving a programme held at the Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati, said that his government is committed to stopping underage marriages and motherhood.

He said, "in the next 5-6 months, thousands of husbands will be arrested as it is a crime to have sexual relations with an underaged girl. The action would follow even if he is the legally wedded husband. Those who marry girls below the age of 18 will also be booked."