More than 2,000 people were arrested in northeast India on Friday in a campaign against the illegal practice of child marriage, police said.
India has more than 220 million underage brides, according to UN figures, but the number of child marriages has fallen sharply since the turn of the century.
The two-week campaign in the state of Assam began on Friday after the state’s chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, called for public help to end an “evil practice.”
According to Himanta Biswa Sarma, almost one in eight women in the state of Assam has become pregnant before the age of 18, resulting in high infant and maternal mortality rates.
52 priests arrested
State Police Superintendent GP Singh said 2,044 people had been arrested, including 52 priests and local officials allowing child marriages.
GP Singh specified that girls were married from the age of 12 to men. According to him, the police have identified a total of 4,074 cases that need to be investigated.
The legal age of marriage in India is 18, but millions of children are still being forced to marry younger, especially in poor rural areas.
Many parents marry off their children in the hope of improving their financial security.
The consequences of these marriages can be devastating, with girls having to leave school to cook and clean for their husbands, while suffering health problems related to teenage pregnancy.
Source: BFM TV
