Mumbai, May 30 (IANS) Maharashtra Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister Aditi Tatkare said on Saturday that “child marriage-free Maharashtra” is the state government’s ultimate goal, adding that the department has established a highly capable, dynamic, and modern system to completely eliminate child marriages across the state.

Moving beyond traditional law enforcement, the “child marriage-free Maharashtra” campaign has actively mobilised ordinary citizens at every level.

“This collective, community-driven approach has yielded significant results, with the administration successfully preventing 1,400 child marriages last year and 1,450 marriages in the current year,” the Minister added.

According to Minister Tatkare, child marriages are deeply intertwined with underlying socio-economic vulnerabilities, and the Women and Child Development department is focused on tackling these root causes directly.

“A major demographic factor involves the large numbers of migrant labourers moving across the state, particularly into the Marathwada region. Because parents are engaged in daily wage labour throughout the day, leaving a 12-to-14-year-old daughter home alone raises severe safety concerns. This specific vulnerability often drives anxious families toward early marriages,” she said.

“To counter this issue, the department has established dedicated ‘Bal Gruh’ shelters where these young girls can live in complete safety and continue their education without interruption. Further, to ensure continuous state support, a modern tracking portal has been launched for the young children of migrant workers. While these children typically attend anganwadis in their native villages, the digital system ensures that when families migrate across districts for work, the children are seamlessly enrolled at the nearest local anganwadi, preventing anyone from falling off the grid,” a statement issued by the Minister’s office said.

Emphasising a zero-tolerance policy, the Women and Child Development Department is moving aggressively to ensure the law acts as a genuine deterrent.

“We have begun filing cases not only against the parents who arrange a child marriage, but also against the priest who conducts it, the middlemen who facilitate it, and the guests who attend,” Minister Tatkare said, confirming that she is personally monitoring the enforcement.

This stringent legal stance has sent a powerful message through society, she added.

“On the auspicious day of Akshay Tritiya alone, authorities successfully intercepted and stopped 34 child marriages in a single day. Furthermore, ordinary citizens are increasingly coming forward to report early marriages independently,” the statement added.

The District Child Protection Unit of Ahilyanagar has demonstrated remarkable enforcement capabilities between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026.

“A total of 155 child marriages were successfully stopped. Fifteen First Information Reports (FIRs) were registered against families attempting or encouraging child marriages. Not a single underage mother was identified among the prevented marriages,” the statement said.

The Minister reiterated that if an underage mother is identified anywhere in the state, strict provisions are in place to register offences directly under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Minister Tatkare has urged citizens to act as vigilant stakeholders in making Maharashtra child marriage-free.

Anyone witnessing a child marriage or identifying an underage mother is requested to immediately report the matter via the Child Helpline at ‘1098’.

Complaints and information can also be formally directed to the District Women and Child Development Officer, the District Child Protection Unit, or the local District Child Helpline office.

–IANS

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