Recently, the Union Cabinet cleared a proposal to bring uniformity in the marriageable age of men and women. The decision is based on the recommendation of a four-member task force led by former Samata Party chief Jaya Jaitly. The task force was set up to re-examine the age of marriage and its correlation to health and social indices such as infant mortality, maternal mortality, and nutrition levels among mothers and children.

Following the recommendations made by the Task Force, in the recent session of Parliament, the government introduced the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 to raise the age of marriage for women from 18 years to 21 years. The Bill makes an amendment in the Child Marriage Restraint (CMRA) Act 1978, which raised the minimum age to 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), which had replaced the CMRA. The Lok Sabha has referred this Bill to the Standing Committee after Members of Parliament demanded a deeper scrutiny and wider consultations.

The academicians, legal experts, social activists and experts working in the field of child rights have pointed out that raising the age of marriage may not necessarily lead to women’s empowerment. Largely, there are some significant positions have emerged on the issue of the renewed definition of child, its possible impact on communities, education, and employment.

To examine these issues in detail, the Policy Perspectives Foundation (PPF) organised an in-house discussion. The discussion witnessed participation from legal experts, noted journalists, senior and young team members of PPF.