Rise in child marriages, but no conviction ever
After three years of steady decline, child marriages in Haryana saw a troubling increase in the last financial year, jumping from 316 to 372 cases in 2023-24. Over the past five years, a total of 2,247 such cases have been reported, with four more incidents already surfacing in the last fortnight alone.
Though official data for the past six weeks is unavailable, two child marriages were reported from Panipat on Akshay Tritya (April 30), while two more cases emerged from Kaithal and Jind earlier this month. Despite awareness campaigns by the Women and Child Development Department and the appointment of Protection-cum-Prohibition Officers (PPOs), the problem persists on the ground.
Karnal prevented 76 cases last year, followed by Panipat with 40. Panipat continues to be the most affected district over the past five years, while all other districts recorded fewer than 26 cases each.
Rajni, the PPO in Panipat, attributed the continued violations to legal inefficacy. “My experience shows that despite there being a law in place, it is no deterrent to the people since there has been no conviction ever. If an FIR is registered, the case drags on and the families don’t bother about it,” she said. “So, the parents do not fear any trouble even when they are caught and try to solemnise marriages of the minors.”
Backing this view, Preeti Bhardwaj Dalal, a member of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, stressed the need for stricter preventive measures. “An injunction order should be taken each time an attempt at child marriage is discovered. An injunction from the judicial magistrate will ensure that the girl and the boy cannot be married before 18 years and 21 years, respectively,” she suggested.
Poverty remains a major trigger, says Kaithal PPO Suneeta, who also holds charge of Jind. “In the Kaithal case, the father was a labourer with five children — four girls and a boy. These families prefer to marry off the girl child as soon as they can,” she explained. Other contributing factors include fear of elopement, family honour, illiteracy and traditional practices.
The staff shortage is also hampering enforcement. With only 14 PPOs across 22 districts, many officers are forced to manage multiple districts. “We pointed this out to the Haryana Government during our meeting last month,” said Dalal. “They must fill PPO vacancies, conduct repeated awareness drives and field officers should pursue injunctions. FIRs alone aren’t enough — there’s not a single conviction to date.”
Sociologist Prof Jitendra Prasad of MDU, Rohtak, contended that while the issue is serious, it is not widespread. “These people are from low economic strata and poor educational backgrounds. Such marriages happen in a hushed up manner and people do not bring it to the notice of the authorities. However, this is not a widely prevalent phenomenon,” he said.
Haryana Tribune