State PCS - Chhattisgarh (CGPSC)

• 22 Sep 2025

Surajpur Becomes Model for Child Marriage Eradication

Why in News?

Surajpur district in Chhattisgarh has made a remarkable achievement by declaring 75 of its village panchayats as "Child Marriage-Free Panchayats" on 17th September 2025. 

• This recognition marks a major victory for the district's relentless social reform efforts and public awareness campaigns under the "Healthy Women, Empowered Families" initiative.

Key Points

• About: 
  • The announcement of the 75 child marriage-free panchayats coincided with the launch of National Nutrition Month and the ongoing "Healthy Women, Empowered Families" campaign. These panchayats were recognized for having reported no cases of child marriage in the past two years.
  • On 10th March 2024, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai launched the “Child Marriage-Free Chhattisgarh Campaign” with the support of UNICEF. The initiative aims to make the entire state child marriage-free through active awareness, monitoring, and community participation.
  • Implementation: 
  • The Women and Child Development Department led consistent awareness drives in the region.
  • Anganwadi workers, panchayat representatives, and voluntary organizations played a crucial role in spreading awareness about the detrimental effects of child marriage.
  • Educational dialogues emphasized the importance of child rights, education, and the necessity of delaying marriage to ensure better health and socio-economic outcomes for girls.
  • This created a shift in mindset where parents began prioritizing education and self-reliance for their daughters over early marriage.

Child Marriage

• UNICEF categorizes child marriage as a human rights violation due to its adverse impacts on the development of both girls and boys.
• Sustainable Development Goal 5.3 states that Child marriage elimination is pivotal in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5, aiming for gender equality and empowerment of women and girls by 2030.
• According to the UN, 1 in 5 young women worldwide (19%) were married in childhood in 2022.

 Legislative Framework 

• India enacted the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act in 2006, establishing the legal age for marriage at 21 for men and 18 for women.
  • Section 16 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act allows State Governments to appoint 'Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPO)' for specific areas.
    • CMPOs are responsible for preventing child marriages, collecting evidence for prosecutions, counseling against promoting or aiding such marriages, raising awareness about their harmful effects, and sensitizing communities
  • The government has introduced a bill, namely 'the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 for raising the age of marriage of women to 21 years to make it at par with men.