New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission of India (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of a newspaper article highlighting the malpractice of child marriage prevailing in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra due to which a large number of women are forced to lead a miserable life.

The Commission has observed that the contents of the article about the plight of the victims of child marriages, if true, amount to a violation of human rights relating to their life, liberty, dignity, and equality of the poor people especially, the women in the Marathwada region.

Accordingly, the NHRC has issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Government of Maharashtra, and the District Collectors of Jalna, Aurangabad, Parbhani, Hingoli, Nanded, Latur, Osmanabad, and Beed in the state, calling for a detailed report in the matter including the steps taken or proposed to be taken to address the issue raised in the news report. The response from the authorities is expected at the earliest but not later than 6 weeks from the issuance of these orders.

The Commission has also asked its Special Rapporteur PN Dixit to visit the Marathwada region; collect data, make an in-depth study of the problem of child marriage and suggest measures within three months for better implementation of the law in force.

It has noted that despite the provisions for punishment with rigorous imprisonment extending up to two years, and the fine up to Rs 1 lakh in the case of the marriage of a male of lower than 21 years and a female lower than 18 years, the incidents of child marriage are reportedly happening in many parts of the country.

The Commission has further observed that government agencies have to be more vigilant and active to take effective steps to fight this social evil. The plight of the young girls/women who are falling prey to the lack of infrastructure and apathy of the government agencies as mentioned in the article is indeed a matter of concern.

According to the article, carried on 21st December, 2022, amid social instability, financial constraints, lack of education, rigid religious and caste-based rituals or traditions, lack of natural resources, drought conditions, and reckless attitude of the government agencies, the number of child marriages has been rising in the region. It has also been mentioned that most children go to school only for six months a year and for the remaining period, they keep working in the sugarcane fields for their livelihood.

The article, the NHRC said in a statement issued on December 23, claims that as per the data, there has been a sharp rise in the number of cases of child marriages after the Covid pandemic.  It pitches in for an urgent need on the part of the government agencies to take immediate steps to encourage skill-based education like dairy farming, poultry, fashion designing, agro-business, and other mechanical training for the youth so that the social menace like child marriage could be eradicated from the society, said the NHRC. /BI/