Rajasthan government announces measures to stop child marriages
The government of Rajasthan has issued an order listing out several measures to curb the practice of child marriages in the state. The order brings in certain checks on the age of the bride and the groom and also puts responsibility on wedding attendees and others associated with the rituals. Here are more details on this.
Wedding cards to carry copies of birth certificates
The state government has ordered that wedding cards should carry the names of both the bride and the groom and copies of their birth certificates must also be submitted when cards are sent for printing, according to a report in News18. The decision has come ahead of Akshaya Tritiya, a Hindu festival during which marriages are considered auspicious.
Attendees, priests, and others could be booked
The order adds that the people responsible for a child marriage including the attendees, caterers, band organizers, priests, tent owners could be charged under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act. Further, people should be told that child marriage is a crime and they should be made aware of the laws against it, the state government said.
Order issued to District Collector, Zila Parishad etc.
The Rajasthan government's Home Department has reportedly issued this order and given instructions in this regard to district officials including the District Collector, the members of the Gram Panchayat, Zila Parishad, and the Panchayat Samiti.
Child marriages in India
A child marriage is a formal or informal marriage between a child and an adult or another child below the legal age, i.e., 18 years for females and 21 years for males. In India, 26.8% girls are reportedly married off before the legal age. Further, child marriages reportedly rose by over 33% during the lockdown period last year as compared to 2019.
