Minor girls becoming mothers : 453 cases in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, 60 in Amaravati

Question-Answers session in State Assembly

Mumbai, 1 March – Due to child marriages and increasing cases of sexual atrocities, incidents of minor girls becoming mothers have risen significantly. In the past nine months, 453 such cases were reported in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district and 60 in Amaravati district. This information was provided by Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare in the State Legislative Assembly while replying to a starred question raised by members Sai Dahake and Pradip Jaiswal.

As per the Minister, 12 cases have been registered in Amaravati district under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act during this period. In the financial year 2024–25, the government administration prevented 173 child marriages in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. In nine cases, strict action was taken under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

A District Child Protection Cell has been established in every district to curb child marriages. Public awareness is also being created under the Union Government’s Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign.

Editorial Perspectives

• The main reasons behind this plight of girls are blind imitation of Western culture, excessive use of mobile phones, lack of Sanskar and parental negligence.
• This issue cannot be resolved merely by enacting laws or conducting drives. Unless girls are imparted education on adhering to Dharma and safeguarding their virtues, it will be difficult to protect them from such situations.
• While the Government must take stringent action against offenders, parents too must instil strong moral values in their children and prevent them from straying onto the wrong path, which is the need of the hour.