CHILD MARRIAGE IN INDIA: AN OVERVIEW

In a country rich in diversity, there are practices and beliefs that need to be understood and accepted as limitations of Indian culture and tradition. Child marriage is one such practice, which is one of the most serious social maladies affecting the lives and future of India's youth. Child marriages contribute to virtually every social problem that keeps India behind in women's rights. The problems include soaring birth rates, grinding poverty and malnutrition, high illiteracy and infant mortality, and low life expectancy, especially among rural women. Premature pregnancy and motherhood are an inevitable consequence of child marriage. An estimated 14 million adolescents between 15 and 19 give birth each year. Girls under 15 are five times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth than women in their twenties. Child marriage denies schooling for girls and their right to education, which is necessary for their personal development and effective contribution to the future well-being of society. The secondary data sources were used in this paper. The paper analysis Consequences of Child marriage, Determinants of child marriage, Legal Perspective and programmes and policies of Government.