The Assam government has decided to book men who marry girls aged below 14 ears in the state under the Protection Children from Sexual Offences Act, Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The major reason for the high maternal and infant mortality rate in the state is child marriage, he said. 31% of marriages in the state have been done in the prohibited age group.
POCSO Act of 2012 defines a child as an individual under the age of 18 and it criminalizes sex between an under-age and an adult. While cases will be registered under the POCSO Act 2006, if the bride us between 14 to 18 years for women and 21 for men.
The Panchayat Secretaries of the villages in the state will also be designated as child marriage prohibition officers. Hence, from now on, in case of a child marriage, the complaint will be lodged before the Panchayat Secretary of the village,” the CM added.