Permanent Mission of India

Geneva

26th session of the Human Rights Council

(10 – 27 June 2014)

Panel Discussion strengthening efforts to prevent and eliminate child, early and forced marriage.

(23 June 2014)

Statement by India

Mr. President,

1. We welcome the convening of this panel discussion on “strengthening efforts to prevent and eliminate child, early and forced marriage”. The continued practice of Child marriage today is deeply disturbing and efforts to fight this practice need to be enhanced. We thank the distinguished panelists for their presentations.

Mr. President,

2. The OHCHR report rightly recognizes poverty, insecurity and lack of education as the root causes of the problem and not just its drivers. Traditions, unhealthy or otherwise, are not borne out of a vacuum. Practices such as child marriage have their genesis in an environment of endemic and abject poverty, which is further perpetuated by lack of education and awareness. While every effort should be made to condemn and prohibit such practices, it is important to acknowledge and effectively address the primary causes that led to their development. Empirical evidence suggests that such practices die a natural death in societies where the vicious cycle of poverty and lack of access to education have been broken.

3.In India, comprehensive measures to address this issue have seen a gradual increase in the median age of marriage for women aged 20-49 years from 16.78 years in 1998-99 (NFHS*-II) to 17.2 years in 2005-06 (NFHS-III). The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 is a progressive law that not only prohibits child marriages and but also provides for punishment for those abetting or solemnizing child marriages and also provides for protection and rehabilitation of the victims. Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) have been appointed in 28 States and Union Territories of India to strengthen and monitor its implementation.

4.To increase awareness of and address the underlying causes, Government of India has also taken up a number of initiatives including the declaration of January 24 as the ‘National Girl Child Day’, organizing national campaigns, implementing programmes like the Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and direct cash transfer schemes to ensure that marriages are delayed till the legal age of marriage. Mr. President,

5. Despite the considerable progress made, the complexity of the issue at hand, calls for collective and concerted efforts of Governments, traditional and religious leaders, civil society, media, and other relevant stakeholders to address the underlying root causes. We need to persevere in our fight against Child marriage and ensure that our responses are holistic, comprehensive and based on a real understanding of the root causes perpetuating such practices.  We look forward to hearing about best practises in this regard.

I thank you.

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