Child marriage among young women falls to 20.1% as Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat nears two years

Child marriage among young women in India has fallen, with 20.1% of women aged 20-24 married before 18 in the 2023-24 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6), down from 23.3% in NFHS-5 (2019-21), a fall of 3.2 percentage points.

The PIB backgrounder looks at the law and campaigns aimed at ending the practice, as the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign approaches two years since its launch on 27 November 2024.

The campaign

Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat combines legal safeguards, public awareness and community action. The government reports 6.85 lakh awareness programmes, 12.47 crore participants reached and 42.01 lakh pledges registered. The stated national goal is a child-marriage-free India by 2030.

What the law says

The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 replaced the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929. A "child" is a male under 21 or a female under 18. A child marriage can be annulled by the party who was a child, generally within two years of reaching majority, and is void in some circumstances, such as trafficking.

Offences are cognizable and non-bailable. An adult male marrying a child, and those who perform, abet, promote or attend such a marriage, including parents and guardians, face up to two years' rigorous imprisonment and/or a fine of up to ₹1 lakh. Women offenders are not liable to imprisonment. The Act gives victims maintenance, residence and custody arrangements, and keeps children of such marriages legitimate.

Magistrates can issue injunctions to stop an impending marriage, and states can appoint Child Marriage Prohibition Officers.

Changing attitudes

The backgrounder also cites Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, launched on 22 January 2015 and run as part of Mission Shakti, which works on awareness and behaviour change and promotes girls' survival, protection and education.

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Source: official release by the PIB Backgrounder, issued through the Press Information Bureau, Government of India (06 NOV 2026 5:33PM by PIB Delhi). Read the full official text: Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat.