Child marriage in India declines, but millions of girls remain at risk

With the 2030 target to end child marriage approaching, India still accounts for one in three child brides across the world, while one in every five Indian young women was married before turning 18.

While the prevalence of child marriages has come down sharply from over 50 per cent in 1996 to little over 20 per cent now, experts, on the occasion of International Day of the Girl Child, have warned not to get "swayed" by the national average, emphasising that the problem is a lot more acute in some states.

Five states -- Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh -- account for more than half of the total child marriages in the country, according to UNICEF and government data.

States and union territories that are doing well include Kerala and Lakshadweep.

"This year's International Day of the Girl Child theme, End Child Marriage and Invest in Girls' Rights, calls for sustained investments throughout adolescence so that girls stay in school, remain healthy and