Apex child rights body NCPCR has asked all states and Union territories to issue directions against child marriages ahead of Akshaya Tritiya and Eid. In a notice to all chief secretaries, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) said it has been noted that child marriages often take place every year during Akshaya Tritiya or Akha Teej and after Eid ul Fitr in various states and UTs.
This year, both these festivals are falling on April 22.“Therefore, the commission requests your good office to issue necessary directions to all district magistrates, collectors, CMPOS as well as principal secretary, Department of Law and Justice to ensure that injunction is issued against persons in order to prohibit child marriages,” the NCPCR said. Ahead of these festivals, the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation (KSCF) too held a national consultation on ‘child marriage-free India’, along with other NGOs from across the country.Taking stock of this evil practice, the organisations brainstormed and suggested certain stringent measures that could make the elimination of child marriages from the Indian society a reality.