Guwahati: In a bid to strengthen its fight against child marriage, the Assam government has rechristened all the District Child Protection Officers as Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) at the district-level with immediate effect, according to an official notification.
Women and Child Development Department Principal Secretary Mukesh Chandra Sahu issued a notification on Monday to effect the change in the nomenclature of the officers in all the districts.
“The Governor of Assam is pleased to notify the District Child Protection Officers of all Districts of Assam as Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) at the district level with immediate effect,” it added.
As per the notification, the CMPOs will perform all the functions and duties specified under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 (PCMA 2006).
“In addition to these functions and duties as specified in PCMA 2006, the CMPOs will also perform the functions and duties as specified under section 3 of the Assam Prohibition of Child Marriage Rules, 2015,” Sahu added.
The CMPOs will lodge FIRs under The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (as amended in 2019) or under The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, as the case may be, the notification stated.
“The CMPOs notified above are in addition to the Gram Panchayat Secretaries notified in general areas and the Lot Mandals (Patwaris in Dima Hasao) in Sixth Schedule areas for the same purpose. All CMPOs in the districts shall maintain close coordination with each other,” Sahu said.
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In 2023, the Assam government launched a significant crackdown on child marriages, leading to over 5,300 arrests and the registration of more than 5,800 cases.
