The nation may be celebrating Amrit Kaal, but social evils like child marriage is still prevalent. For Pushpa Lohar, now into her 30s says she wanted to study but forced marriage to a double the age of her when she did not even attained her puberty.Pushpa from Rajasthan and Shakuntala Devi were married off at the early age of 12 to 13 years. "Mein padhana chahti thi magar mujhe koi padhane nhi deta tha" (I wanted to study but nobody allowed me to do so).

Similar stories of more than 14,000 child marriages could be prevented across 265 districts in 17 states and Union Territories by civil society, according to the report by the India Child Protection (ICP) research team which was released by child rights body the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

The India Child Protection (ICP) on the World Day for International Justice released a research report on Wednesday that highlighted the status and role of legal action and prosecution in ending child marriages in India which cited data from Assam and other parts of the country. The broader objective of the report was to enquire about the government's actions and interventions on child marriages in India. The event was graced by real-life child marriage survivors. 

The report has been prepared in consultation with the survivors and big research teams for the eradication of child marriages. The report found that there has been a 71 percent reduction in the instances of child marriage between 2021-2024.

The data, in the report has stated that Assam state has witnessed the complete eradication of child marriage in 30 percent of its villages, while 40 percent have reported a significant decline in the once-rampant practice of child marriage.Also, the report further states, "In 12 out of the 20 districts, over 90 percent of respondents believe that taking legal action such as arresting individuals and filing FIRs in cases related to child marriage can effectively address the occurrence of such cases."