Kolkata, Sep 7 (IANS) In a major crackdown on child marriage and teenage pregnancies, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced that husbands of girls who become mothers before attaining the age of 18 will be prosecuted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, with the state government initiating suo motu cases against offenders.
Speaking to the media persons here on Monday, the Chief Minister said, “Now West Bengal is notorious in terms of child marriage and childbirth before the age of 18. The previous Trinamool Congress government is responsible for this. So, henceforth, strong legal action will be taken under the POCSO Act against the husbands of girls who conceive before the age of 18. The government will file suo motu cases in such matters. The culprit can be imprisoned for a maximum of 20 years. They will also be deprived of all government opportunities and social welfare allowances.”
He also said that the priests or Kazis performing rituals of marriage between underage brides and grooms will also not be spared. The administration will also take action against the guardians concerned.
“From January 1, 2016, to June 30 this year, about 60,000 girls under the age of 18 became mothers. Murshidabad tops the list. During that period, 12,847 girls from the district became mothers before attaining the age of 18. Next on the list is South 24 Parganas, where 4,178 girls under the age of 18 became mothers,” the Chief Minister added.
He informed that the State Health Department provided him with this information. “The law under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 specifies the prevention of child marriages. The number of child marriages is so high that there are not even enough jails in the state to house all those who are guilty on this count. But still, we will not allow this to continue. We will make arrests. We have to stop all these social evils. We will launch a bigger campaign on this issue in the coming days,” CM Adhikari said.
–IANS
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