Context:
- National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) said the Commission will act against anyone who promises to facilitate child marriage in Rajasthan in the run-up to the Assembly elections.
- Rajasthan has the highest prevalence of child marriages in the country.
- The National Family Health Survey 4 (2015-16) showed that one out of every four women— or 26.8 percent — aged 20-24 years in India was married off as a minor.
- In Rajasthan, the prevalence is 65 percent.
Prohibition of Child Marriage Act:
- The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act presently allows for child marriages, between a boy of under 21 years and a girl under 18 years of age.
- The Act has been grossly inadequate in preventing child marriages.
- A proposal by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, seeking the Union Cabinet’s approval to an amendment to the Act and make child marriages void, has been pending.
About NCPCR
- It was set up in March 2007 under the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005, an Act of Parliament (December 2005).
Source:IE
