NFHS data show a steady fall in child marriage, but with wide variation between States. Analyse the reasons and suggest district-level strategies to achieve SDG 5.3 by 2030.

The share of women aged 20-24 who married before 18 fell from 23.3% in NFHS-5 to 20.1% in NFHS-6 [1]. The fall is uneven across States, and the pace is too slow for SDG 5.3. Reaching the 2030 goal therefore needs a push led by districts, not a single national approach.

Reasons for the steady fall

• Stronger law: PCMA, 2006 replaced the Sarda Act. Its offences are cognizable and non-bailable, and Magistrates can issue injunctions to stop a wedding [1].
• Valuing girls: Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, now part of Mission Shakti, raised the value placed on girls and their education [1].
• Better reporting: cases under PCMA rose from 523 (2019) to 1,050 (2021). The Ministry links this partly to greater awareness and better reporting, not just to more marriages [2].

Reasons for inter-State variation

• Social norms: dowry, ideas of "honour" and seeing daughters as an economic burden remain strong in some regions [1].
• Education: child marriage cuts short a girl's schooling. The Supreme Court held that it violates Articles 21 and 21A [3]. Regions where girls drop out of school early have more early marriages.
• Weak enforcement: many CMPOs hold the post as an extra duty. This is why the Supreme Court directed States to appoint dedicated, full-time officers [3].
• Uneven progress: Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu fell by 10.1 percentage points [1], while the highest-burden districts lie elsewhere.

District-level strategies

• Focus on high-burden districts: use the 257 districts identified from NFHS-5 data [1], with a plan for each Gram Panchayat.
• Full-time CMPOs and coordination units, as the Supreme Court directed in 2024 [3]. Build on the 59,686 Gram Panchayat CMPOs listed on the BVMB portal [1].
• Early warning from school dropouts: share lists of girls leaving Class 9-10 with CMPOs so they can act before a betrothal. The Court wants betrothals prohibited [3].
• Watch peak seasons: District Magistrates should monitor mass weddings and festivals such as Akshaya Tritiya [1].
• Reward verified results: the BVMB Yodha Award for the top 10 districts [4] should reward checked figures, such as marriages stopped by injunction and girls kept in school, not claims of zero cases.
• Keep communities engaged: continue the 100-day campaign's work with schools, faith leaders and Panchayats [1].

The fall shows that law, schemes and awareness work, and the variation shows that they work unevenly. The Supreme Court's framework puts prevention first [3]. If each high-burden district combines schooling, enforcement and community action on that basis, BVMB's pledges can turn into SDG 5.3 being met by 2030 and into the dignity Article 21 promises every girl.