DAW 8th December 2025, Mains Answer Writting 2026

DAW 8th December 2025, Mains Answer Writting 2026

Question

Discuss the challenges faced by the Indian government and civil society organizations in eradicating child marriage, considering the socio-cultural diversity of the country. (250 Words, 15 Marks). 

Model Answer

Approach: 

Introduction:  

  • Define child marriage + give latest NFHS-5 data + highlight why it persists despite strong laws and campaigns. 

Body: 

  • Present the Status (with data): Use NFHS-5, NCRB trends, and high-prevalence states to show scale and regional variations. 

  • Analyse Government Challenges: Legal gaps, weak enforcement, socio-cultural resistance, administrative constraints, poverty & low education, Centre–State divergence, monitoring issues, and scheme implementation gaps. 

  • Analyse Civil Society Challenges: Deep-rooted norms, distrust, funding limits, remote-area access issues, weak coordination with police, safety risks, hidden marriages, and difficulty influencing religious leaders. 

  • Mention Government Frameworks & Efforts: PCMA, POCSO, RTE, Dowry Act + key schemes (BBBP, Kanyashree, CCTs, UNICEF/UNFPA initiatives). 

  • Provide a Multi-Pronged Way Forward: Stronger enforcement, proactive judiciary, community-led models, education & gender awareness, tech-enabled reporting, focused investments, capacity building. 

 Conclusion: 

  • Link to SDG 5.3, emphasise that ending child marriage requires empowered girls, accountable governance, and sustained societal transformation. 

    Introduction: 

  • Child marriage- marrying girls below 18 and boys below 21- remains a persistent challenge in India despite constitutional guarantees, stringent laws (Prohibition of Child Marriage Act(PCMA), 2006 and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act(POCSO), 2012), and coordinated efforts of government and civil society. NFHS-5 (2019-21) records 23.3% of women aged 20-24 married before 18, with wide inter-state and intra-state disparities.  

 Body: Status of Child Marriage in India (NFHS-5): 

  • 23.3% of women aged 20-24 years were married before age 18 years. 

  • 17.7% of men aged 25-29 years were married before age 21 years.  

  • Prevalence of child marriage has reduced by half from 47% (2006) to 23.3% (2019-21) 

  • Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tripura and West Bengal have higher prevalence of child marriage than national average. 

  • As per NCRB, number of cases registered under Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 during the last five years have increased from 395 (2017) to 1050 (2021). 

 Challenges Faced by the Indian Government in Eradicating Child Marriage: 

  • The recent intensified drives by the Government (Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat, 100-day campaign) and networks like Just Rights for Children (JRC) in Rajasthan reflect renewed momentum, yet socio-cultural and structural challenges remain. 

  • Legal and Institutional Gaps: 

  • The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006 makes child marriage voidable, not automatically void, placing the burden on the girl to seek annulment. 

  • Multiple personal laws and ongoing debate on raising the marriage age for women to 21 create confusion and resistance, especially in conservative communities. 

  • Weak Enforcement and Severe Under-reporting: 

  • Despite laws like PCMA and POCSO, reporting remains very low. 

Example: In Karnataka, Census 2011 recorded 4.8 lakh children married below legal age, but only 783 cases were recorded between 2019-22 showing a gap between prevalence and enforcement. 

  • Police often treat child marriage as a “social/customary” issue rather than a strict crime. 

  • Huge Socio-cultural Diversity and Local Resistance: 

  • Norms around family honour, caste endogamy, dowry, and control over female sexuality vary across regions, making one-size-fits-all policy ineffective. 

  • In districts of Rajasthan, Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Assam, local customs often override state messaging. 

  • Administrative Capacity Constraints at the Grassroots: 

  • Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs), Child Protection Committees, and frontline workers (ASHA, anganwadi, teachers) are overburdened with multiple schemes. 

  • Monitoring every marriage in scattered rural habitations is practically difficult, especially where civil registration is weak. 

  • Poverty, Education Deficits and Limited Fiscal Space: 

  • Child marriage is strongly correlated with poverty, low female education, and lack of infrastructure (safe schools, transport). 

  • Schemes like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Kanyashree, conditional cash transfers, etc., often face limited coverage, leakages, low benefit size, and uneven implementation across states. 

  • Centre-State Coordination and Policy Fragmentation: 

  • Marriage is in the Concurrent List, requiring strong Centre–State cooperation. Progress is uneven: states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka show sharp declines, while Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, parts of Rajasthan and Assam remain high-burden pockets. 

  • Convergence between Women & Child Development, Education, Health, Panchayati Raj, Police, and Judiciary is still patchy. 

  • Implementation Gaps in Well-designed Schemes: 

  • Successful schemes (e.g., Karnataka’s PDO model, Odisha’s Child Marriage-Free Villages) show what can work, but scaling such intensive, community-based models nationwide is administratively and financially demanding. 

  • At the same time, in West Bengal, despite a massive scheme like Kanyashree with over 93 lakh beneficiaries, SRS 2025 still records the highest proportion of females married before 18 (6.3%), exposing the limits of incentive-only approaches without deeper social transformation. 

Challenges Faced by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs): 

  • Deep-rooted socio-cultural norms: 

  • Strong community beliefs around honour, caste purity, and tradition hinder CSO interventions. 

  • E.g., Rajasthan’s Bhilwara & Chittorgarh (40%+ prevalence, NFHS-5). 

  • Community mistrust and hostility: 

  • NGOs are often seen as “outsiders”, leading to resistance and threats. 

  • E.g., JRC workers in West Bengal and Jharkhand facing intimidation during wedding raids. 

  • Short-term funding & resource constraints: 

  • Behaviour change needs long-term engagement, but NGOs rely on limited donor cycles. 

  • Especially visible in high-burden states like Bihar and West Bengal. 

  • Limited access to remote and tribal areas: 

  • Poor roads, low connectivity, and dispersed settlements restrict regular monitoring. 

  • E.g., Telangana’s Nagarkurnool and Gadwal districts. 

  • Weak coordination with local administration: 

  • Delays by police reduce effectiveness of NGO alerts. 

  • E.g., Rajasthan and Assam cases where police reached after families shifted the girl. 

  • High personal risk to field workers: 

  • Preventing marriages often leads to threats or mob pressure. 

  • Breakthrough and JRC staff attacked in Tonk & Karauli (Rajasthan). 

  • Hidden and unregistered marriages: 

  • Many weddings are conducted secretly at night or during festivals, making detection tough.  Seen widely during COVID-19 lockdowns in several states. 

  • Difficulty influencing religious and caste leaders: 

  • Priests, qazis, and community heads resist change, limiting NGO influence. 

  • E.g., Bundi and Sawai Madhopur where NGO efforts stalled without panchayat support. 

 Way Forward: 

  • Strengthen Legal Enforcement & Accountability: 

  • Appoint full-time Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs); empower District Collectors/SPs; set up Special Child Marriage Units; fast-track courts; take mandatory action against negligent public servants. 

  • Empower Judiciary & Police for Proactive Action: 

  • Enable magistrates to take suo motu action; ensure strict, swift FIRs under PCMA/POCSO; enhance coordination through Special Police Units and CHILDLINE-1098. 

  • Community-Led Prevention Models: 

  • Adopt “Child Marriage Free Village” certifications on the lines of ODF villages; mobilize panchayats, faith leaders, teachers, and frontline workers for local ownership. 

  • Education, Awareness & Capacity Building: 

  • Integrate sexuality, rights, and gender equality education in schools; conduct sustained awareness drives (BBBP, NCPCR campaigns); train ASHAs, anganwadi workers, police, judiciary, and educators. 

  • Technology & Data-Driven Governance: 

  • Create a centralized reporting portal; use data analytics to map high-risk hotspots; leverage digital, social, and mass media for alerts, counselling, and awareness in vulnerable districts. 

  • Targeted Investments & Social Support Measures: 

  • Allocate dedicated state budgets; expand conditional cash transfers for girls’ education; provide livelihood training, scholarships, transport and safe schooling to delay marriage and empower girls. 

 Conclusion: 

  • Ending child marriage is central to SDG 5.3, which calls for its elimination by 2030. India’s progress- through strong laws, community engagement, and civil society partnerships- is encouraging, but deep-rooted socio-cultural norms and economic vulnerabilities persist. A child-marriage-free India requires empowered girls, accountable institutions, and data-driven governance. By aligning national efforts with global commitments and ensuring education, safety, and opportunity for every girl, India can advance towards a more equitable, inclusive, and child-rights-centred society.