News:The Supreme Court, in a recent judgement, has held thatthe Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006does not intend to punish a male aged between 18 and 21 years for marrying a “female adult.”
Facts:
Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006
Child or minor is a person up to 18 years in the case of girls and 21 years in the case of boys
Those forced into child marriages as minors have the option of voiding their marriage up to two years after reaching adulthood.
A male adult if contracts a child marriage is punishable.
Whoever performs, conducts, directs or abets any child marriage is punishable.
Note-In 2017, SC ruled that havingsexwith a wife younger than 18 is rape
Additional Information:
Dhan Laxmi Scheme: it is a scheme of Ministry of Women and Child Development. It offers parents an insurance cover of Rs.1 lakh when the girl turns 18-years-old and if the girl hasn't yet been married.
Apni Beti Apna Dhan: The scheme is State Sponsored Cash Transfer Programme of Haryana. It aims to improve parents’ perceived value of daughters by offering them economic incentives.
Lado Campaign: It is a flagship programme of Madhya Pradesh aiming at eradicating child marriages, in mission mode through preventive and proactive measures.