Social media opening doors to child marriages?

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Last year, the District Child Welfare Committee in Chennai dealt with a case where a 15-year-old girl from Nepal had married a 28-year-old man working in Chennai, the two having met on Instagram. With the help of friends, they got married in Chennai.

A month into the marriage, the girl was traced after she made a call to her sister in Nepal. The girl’s family lodged a complaint with the police following which India Child Protection, a civil society organisation working in the area of child protection, intervened to rescue the girl.

Social media and online dating are increasingly exposing vulnerable girls to greater risk of child marriage.

“With advancement in digital communication, the modus operandi in child marriage is changing, making more children vulnerable,” says Bhuwan Ribhu, a child rights activist and founder of Just Rights for Children.

Bhuwan Ribhu says trafficking is a borderless crime, and it requires a borderless response. Online methods of enticement or grooming for marriage, sexual abuse and trafficking have become possible irrespective of distance and geography.

In a study taken by NGO Save the Children, they observed that girls in India faced greater online risk of child marriage and trafficking during the pandemic. The agency continues to work with children and teachers to raise awareness about staying safe online.

According to the National Family Health Survey (2019-21), the national average in India for child marriage is 23%. The prevalence rate in India for child marriage has fallen by 10 per cent. The Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign launched by the Central Government in November 2024 promises to make India child marriage-free by 2030 and is seeing various state governments running different initiatives.

Natharsha Malim H, state coordinator - Tamil Nadu, India Child Protection, says while Tamil Nadu has been making steady progress in reporting and stopping child marriages, gaps continue to exist.

Tamil Nadu, he says, does not have Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) that are appointed to prevent marriages, gather evidence, raise awareness and report data. The District Social Welfare Officer (DSWO) is notified as the Child Marriage Prohibition Officer of the concerned district.

“This is an additional role that the DSWO takes up. We have been asking for a dedicated person to be appointed as many other states have done based on a Supreme Court recommendation,” says Malim.

For example, in Karnataka, the Department of Women and Child Welfare has included pre-university (PU) college principals as child marriage prohibition officers, whose responsibility is to prevent any girl child studying in their college from marrying before 18 years.

Dedicated officials tasked with curbing this practice is particularly required in places such as Salem, Dindigul, Namakal and Cuddalore which has reported maximum cases of child marriages, says Malim.