More than 3,000 men were arrested in February in the northeastern state of Assam, India for illegal child marriages involving girls under 18. These arrests follow a recently passed state government resolution to eradicate the practice of child marriage by 2026.

India’s National Health Family Survey data shows that more than 31% of Assam’s registered marriages involved underage girls. India, on the whole, is home to the largest number of child brides in the world, accounting for a third of the global total.

These arrests, however, have left many women who got married under 18 in a difficult situation. According to AP News, a majority of the affected wives came from poor families where husbands were the sole earners in the household. For these women, especially those who are unemployed and undereducated, it is now harder to get by.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/india-government-marriage-e7612724891fc79f4d93acb3299d891d