Child marriage is the primary reason behind child pregnancy, which in turn is responsible for high maternal and infant mortality rates
Police in the Indian state of Assam have arrested more than 1,800 men for marrying or intending to marry underage girls, launching what the head of the eastern Indian state called a crackdown on the practice.
Police began making arrests last night and most involved people who helped perform such weddings in temples and mosques, Himada Biswa Sharma told Reuters.
“Child marriage is the primary reason behind child pregnancy, which in turn is responsible for high maternal and infant mortality rates,” he added.
Marriage under the age of 18 is illegal in India, but the law is being openly flouted.
The United Nations estimates that the country has the largest number of child brides in the world at around 223 million.
Nearly 1.5 million underage girls are married each year, says a 2020 report by the UN children’s agency, UNICEF.
“From Muslims to Hindus, Christians, tribals to those belonging to communities of tea plantation workers, there are men from all creeds and communities who have been arrested for this heinous social crime,” Sharma said.
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