Child Marriages Still in India!

August 31, 2026

-Abhishek Vij

New statistics from the Ministry of Women and Child Development have come out regarding child marriage, shocking the educated society of the country. The data shows that even today, cases of child marriage occur in the country, even though years ago, we launched social and legal campaigns to prevent child marriage. It was now understood that in this environment of women’s freedom, girls are not married off like sheep and goats, but are now given full opportunity to progress in life.

They actively participate in education, examinations, and job competitions, and outperform boys. But what can be said about this contradictory country that, despite years of campaigns to prevent child marriage, child marriages are still rampant in some states. In some states, the crime of kidnapping girls and selling them has become a business.

Surveys show that Madhya Pradesh still has the highest number of child marriages, although immediate action is now being taken in this state to prevent child marriages. Surprisingly, Haryana ranks second in the number of child marriages. Due to the dominance of castes, half of the cases here are not stopped in time, although the police have now become more vigilant and are taking swift action against them. The Ministry states that after taking cognizance of the total complaints of child marriage received from across the country, it was found that Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Haryana, Tripura, and Andhra Pradesh are leading, with two-thirds of all child marriages decreasing.

In some states, prompt police action has led to prevention, with Haryana and Tamil Nadu leading among these. It’s not that the entire country is lagging behind; some states haven’t reported a single case of child marriage. These include Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi, Goa, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. You may have noticed that, in addition to these states, the larger states where child marriages occur are more materialistic in the name of progress. In some states, this business has taken a new form. Criminals kidnap girls and then marry them off to middle-aged gentlemen to justify their actions.

Whatever the method, this evil practice is a cancer of the country and the biggest obstacle in the path of equality between men and women. It cannot be avoided by simply saying that this does not happen in our country. How can it not happen? During the campaign against child marriage, 3863 cases have been reported in the country till 27 August 2026. 3405 child marriages have been stopped through persuasion and administrative action.

Looking at police complaints, CWC reports, and annulments, there are 458 cases registered. New reports show that Madhya Pradesh prevented 703 child marriages, the highest number in the country. Jharkhand prevented 534, Haryana prevented 531, Tripura prevented 353, and Andhra Pradesh prevented 326.

Criminal cases have also been filed for child marriages. 154 cases have been registered in Maharashtra, 152 in Rajasthan, 96 in West Bengal, and 84 in Chhattisgarh. Even today, we cannot rest easy thinking that our society has become progressive and we have eradicated social evils. The statistics speak the truth loudly.