‘Strict Enforcement Can Curb Child Marriage,' Says Bhuwan Ribhu

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): With 40% of its population children, the state holds potential to lead the nation in fighting crimes against children, said advocate Bhuwan Ribhu on Monday. 

Addressing the media, the founder of Just Rights for Children, a network of 250 NGOs, shared alarming numbers on the prevalence of child marriage in the state.

Overall, the prevalence of child marriage in MP is 23.1% but it is alarmingly high in districts such as Rajgarh at 46%, meaning that close to half the boys and girls get married as children.

Districts such as Sheopur aren’t far behind at 39.5%, Chhatarpur at 39.2%, Jhabua at 36.5%, and Agar Malwa at 35.6%. 

Speaking about the way forward towards making the state child marriage-free by 2030, Ribhu said, “Without strong enforcement, child marriage will keep pulling girls out of schools and into recurring cycles of abuse and poverty.” 

Child marriage is defined as a marriage in which the bride is less than 18 years of age and/or the groom is less than 21.

He said Madhya Pradesh was the first state in India to introduce the death penalty for the rape of girls, urging the state government to extend the same resolve to child marriage.He argued that the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA) is a secular law intended to protect all children, irrespective of religion, and must prevail over personal laws.  

Between April 2023 and August 2025, partners of Just Rights for Children assisted law enforcement agencies to prevent or stop 36,838 child marriages, rescued 4,777 trafficked children, and supported more than 1,200 survivors of sexual abuse across 41 districts, he shared.