Child marriage in India

[3] During British colonial times, the legal minimum age of marriage was set at 14 for girls and 18 for boys.

For example, the state of Haryana introduced the Apni Beti, Apna Dhan program in 1994, which translates to "My daughter, My wealth".

It is a conditional cash transfer program dedicated to delaying under-age marriages by providing a government paid bond in her name, payable to her parents, in the amount of ₹25,000 (US$290), after her 18th birthday if she is unmarried.

The small sample surveys have different methods of estimating overall child marriages in India, some using multi-year basis data.

[3] The states with highest observed marriage rates for under-18 girls in 2009, according to a Registrar General of India report, were Jharkhand (14.1%), West Bengal (13.6%), Bihar (9.3%), Uttar Pradesh (8.9%) and Assam (8.8%).

[3] According to this report, despite sharp reductions in child marriage rates since 1991, 7% of women passing the age of 18 in India were married as of 2009.

UNICEF India has played a significant role in highlighting the Indian child marriage rate prevalence data from its 1990s study.

In India, the government ask about the age of bride and groom as a part of census data, which is collected every year.

According to Sriram, people are aware of the illegal age of marriage in India, so they are less likely to tell the truth, which in turn leads to underreporting.

[27] Kriti Bharti, who runs a non-government organization called Saarthi, says people in Rajasthan have developed ways of evading the law.

[27] For example, marriage ceremonies for underage persons will be held at night, with small groups of people attending.

The punishment for a parent or guardian of a child taking place in the marriage became imprisonment of up to three months or a possible fine.

[28] In response to the plea (Writ Petition (C) 212/2003) of the Forum for Fact-finding Documentation and Advocacy at the Supreme Court, the Government of India brought the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA) in 2006, and it came into effect on 1 November 2007 to address and fix the shortcomings of the Child Marriage Restraint Act.

[30] This Act kept the ages of adult males and females the same but made some significant changes to further protect the children.

All valuables, money, and gifts must be returned if the marriage is nullified, and the girl must be provided with a place of residency until she marries or becomes an adult.

Article 16, Marriage and Family Life, states that all women, as well as men, have the right to choose their spouse, to have the same responsibilities, and to decide on how many children and the spacing between them.

[39] India signed the convention on 30 July 1980 but made the declaration that, because of the nation's size and population, it is impractical to have a registration of marriages.

If the children survive, they are more likely to suffer from low birth weight, malnutrition, and late physical and cognitive development.

A study conducted in India by the International Centre for Research on Women showed that girls married before 18 years of age are twice as likely to be beaten, slapped, or threatened by their husbands[44] and three times more likely to experience sexual violence.

[44] Apni Beti, Apna Dhan (ABAD), which translates to "My daughter, My wealth", is one of India's first conditional cash transfer programmes dedicated to delaying young marriages across the nation.

"[49] The International Centre for Research on Women will evaluate Apni Beti, Apna Dhan over the course of the year 2012, when the program's initial participants turn 18, to see if the programme, particularly the cash incentive, has motivated parents to delay their daughters' marriages.

"We have evidence that conditional cash transfer programmes are very effective in keeping girls in school and getting them immunized, but we don’t yet have proof that this strategy works for preventing marriage," said Pranita Achyut, the program manager for Apni Beti, Apna Dhan.

"If Haryana state’s approach proves to be valuable, it could potentially be scaled up to make a significant difference in many more girls' lives – and not only in India.