Child marriages up by 56% in TN in one year; Erode and Tirunelveli top the list

The number of child marriages in Tamil Nadu has increased at an alarming rate of 55.6% between 2023 and 2024.

- SUBASHINI VIJAYAKUMAR

While 1,054 marriages took place in 2023, it increased to 1,640 in 2024, in just 11 months between January and November, data obtained by TNIE through the Right to Information Act showed.

The data also showed that the percentage of child marriages the authorities managed to stop after receiving complaints has consistently declined in the last two years. Authorities managed to prevent 70.2% of the marriages in the 3,609 complaints they received in 2022. But this dropped to 65.4% (of 3,049 complaints) in 2023 and to just 53.7% (of 3,544 complaints) in 2024, indicating either lacunae in institutional mechanisms for effective action or a delay in receiving the complaints.

Officials and activists TNIE spoke to were equally surprised by the sharp increase, especially with the state introducing schemes like Pudhumai Penn to incentivize girl students to pursue higher education instead of dropping out after school. At 150, Erode district topped the list in child marriages in 2024, followed by 133 in Tirunelveli. These were also the two districts that saw the highest increase compared to 2023 when Erode and Tirunelveli saw just 62 and 49 marriages, respectively.