Assam Rebrands Child Protection Officers to Combat Child Marriage

The Assam government has taken a bold step by renaming District Child Protection Officers as Child Marriage Prohibition Officers, according to a recently released official notification.

The notification, issued by the Principal Secretary of the Women and Child Development Department, Mukesh Chandra Sahu, came into effect following the Assam Governor's approval. This change aims to empower officers in all districts to enforce the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, along with the Assam Prohibition of Child Marriage Rules, 2015.

The Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) will be responsible for lodging FIRs under relevant acts and coordinating closely with other district authorities, including Gram Panchayat Secretaries and Lot Mandals, to curb the incidence of child marriages across the state.

(With inputs from agencies.)