India, World's Child Marriage Capital


Bangalore: The nation is plagued with the evils of child marriage and violence towards women as more than 40 percent of the world's child marriages happen in India. While, 47 percent of Indian girls are married by 18 years of age, and 18 percent are married by 15 years of age as per UNICEF.

The United Nations has told India that child marriage is not the correct way to protect girls from sexual crimes, reported Times of India. Four U.N. organizations in a joint letter to Union Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath, have urged India to address the issue of child marriage instantly and seek a political commitment to the goal of ending this destructive practice.

The letter said “child marriage denies a girl childhood, disrupts her education, limits her opportunities, increases the risk of her becoming a victim of violence, jeopardises her health, and therefore constitutes an obstacle to the achievement of nearly every Millennium Development Goal and the development of healthy communities,” as reported by The Hindu.

The letter also stated “There is an urgent need to raise awareness of the negative consequences of child marriage … The U.N. reaffirms its commitment to work hand in hand with the government of India to deliver a multi-sectoral response to addressing child marriage, including strengthening law enforcement, investing in the education of girls and giving them skills to become economically empowered.”

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