This means girls are married before 18 years while boys before attending 21 years of age. Though child marriage is illegal & is cognizable crime with up to two years of imprisonment or shall also be liable to fine but how many people care about the law is foreseen in the quantum of child marriages undertaken every year. Reason is ambiguities in the rigorous implementation of the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929.

Recently released report of National Crime Records Bureau, 2008 reveals that only 2 cases were registered under Child Marriage Restraint Act in Madhya Pradesh. This indicates that there is almost very low resistance on child marriages and community do not want to put up such cases in the police station. Madhya Pradesh accounted for 15 cases in 2005, 4 in 2006, 5 in 2007 and only 2 cases of child marriages in 2008 as pointed out by National Crime Records Bureau. It is significantly low in comparison to the total incidences of child marriages at the national level which account for 122 in 2005, 99 in 2006, 96 in 2007 and 103 in 2008 though it is a well known fact that Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are the three states with highest prevalence of child marriages.

Where there's a will there's a way! It is not that administration is not empowered to restraint the child marriages but the problem lies in their willingness. Efforts done by District Administration Satna in preventing 54 child marriages during 2006 exhibit an example for the same. Dinkar Prasad Mishra from Barhiya Village in Maihar block, Satna has fixed her 16 years old daughter to Raj Bhadur from Billodha. On getting the information, CDPO, Maihar released orders for immediate actions & on parallel side officials of Revenue department and police force was also informed timely. Thus the joint team reached to the bride's home and told pros and cons for child marriage not only to the families of bride's and groom but to other villagers as well. In 2007, WCD dept. along with SDM of Banda, Sagar district after listening of child marriage of Savita (12 Years), went Patari Village and gave advise to her parents. Her parents were giving logic in the favour of marriage but WCD officials solved their problems and now Savita is a school going girl. Also last year, in some cases, girl's resistance and alert officials of WCD prevented early marriages.

Capital of MP Bhopal is witness of child marriage but some girls of slums also raised their voice against it. Nisha (name changed) from a slum of Bhopal informed, 'My cousin sister, younger to me in age was married last year. And now my uncle is planning to marry her younger sister.' Nisha have just passed 10th this year and she is only 16 now. This means that her uncle had married her daughter of around 14-15 years of age and wants to do the same with his younger daughter as well. Nisha admitted that relatives are putting pressures on get her married soon. But she said to her parents that she would be ready to marry only after she completes her education. As per UNICEF, 'Educated girls are also more likely to delay marriage and less likely to get pregnant while very young, reducing the risk of dying in childbirth while they are still children themselves. As girls continue their education, their earning potential increases, enabling them to break the bonds of poverty too often passed down through the generations.”

Large numbers of girls are married in 16-17 years of their age in Madhya Pradesh. This is on of the cause for highest maternal mortality and child mortality rates in Madhya Pradesh in the nation. Presence of anemia is very common disease prevalent in the girls of Madhya Pradesh. According to UNICEF, “The younger a girl, when she becomes pregnant, the greater the health risks. Girls who give birth before the age of 15 are five times more likely to die in childbirth than women in their twenties. If a mother is under the age of 18, her infant's risk of dying in its first year of life is 60 per cent greater than that of an infant born to a mother older than 19.” Proper training and developing motivation skills among the officials & staff can play a vital role uproot the evil. The Social activists, Local teachers, anganwadi workers, A.N.M and ASHA can be a useful means to prevent child marriages. Only few days are left for 'Akshaya Tritiya' and so sturdy steps are required to prevent child marriages to the great extent. (IPA)