The NCWS pointed to data indicating that 33.4 percent of women aged 20-24 were married before 18, with this figure rising to nearly 50 percent in the North-east and North-west regions. The council described child marriage as a significant national development crisis, driven largely by poverty, which disproportionately affects girls from disadvantaged households.
Child marriage carries severe health risks, including eclampsia, infections, and obstetric fistula, alongside lifelong limitations on education and economic prospects. The council noted that approximately 7.6 million girls are out of school, and women without formal education tend to marry at a much younger age compared to those who complete secondary education.
Despite all 36 states adopting the Child Rights Act, its implementation remains weak. The NCWS is calling for the enforcement of the Act's provision setting 18 as the minimum marriage age and urging a review of the constitutional clause that considers a married woman to be of full age. They also advocate for free birth registration, mandatory marriage registration with age verification, and specialized training for legal and law enforcement officials.
An eight-point action plan proposed by the NCWS includes enforcing the marriage age, ensuring girls complete secondary education, providing school feeding programs, and offering conditional cash transfers. The plan also calls for menstrual hygiene support, recruitment of female teachers, second-chance education, financial aid for poor households, and the establishment of child protection services and helplines.
The council stressed the need for traditional leaders, imams, and pastors to promote later marriages and urged the release of funds for the Costed National Action Plan to End Child Marriage, complete with dedicated budgets and annual public reporting.