India’s eastern state of Bihar has most child marriages: Unicef

Bihar tops the child marriage chart with a staggering 68.9 percent of the marriages in the state involving girls below 18.

Kolkata: India`s eastern state of Bihar tops the child marriage chart with a staggering 68.9 percent of the marriages in the state involving girls below the marriageable age of 18, according to Unicef.

"Nearly 68.9 percent of the marriages in Bihar are child marriages. The state is closely followed by Rajasthan and Jharkhand with 63.5 and 62.8 percent respectively," said a Unicef report quoting the national family health survey. Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are fourth and fifth in the list with 55.4 and 57.8 percent of child marriages. West Bengal with 53.9 percent ranks sixth in the country. The state`s Murshidabad, Birbhum, Bankura, Purulia and Malda districts have reported very large incidences of child marriages. IANS