The NCRB’s Crime in India (CII) report for 2021 indicates that more than 1000 cases of child marriage were registered under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 for the first time in 2021. While this is more than a 9-fold increase compared to 2011, the actual prevalence of child marriages is much higher as evident from the NFHS-5 data. One of the concerns raised amidst the uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak was the increase in child marriages. An analysis by UNICEF in 2021 revealed that up to 10 million more girls will be at risk of becoming child brides over the next decade, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also noted that prior to the pandemic, 100 million girls were already at risk of child marriage in the next decade, despite significant reductions in several countries in recent years. Further, globally in the last ten years, the proportion of young women who were married as children had decreased by 15%, from nearly 1 in 4 to 1 in 5. This progress has been challenged by the pandemic. UNFPA estimated that the COVID-19 pandemic would globally result in 13 million additional child marriages over the 2020-2030 decade due to economic challenges and hindrances in the implementation of prevention programmes. In India, the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 (PCM) prohibits the solemnization of marriage of a boy who is less than 21 years of age or a girl who is less than 18 years of age. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in its annual Crime in India (CII) report, provides data on the number of cases registered under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 across states under the head of Special and Local Laws (SLL) crimes. The latest report for 2021 was released recently. More than 9-fold increase in cases in the last 11 years As per the NCRB’s CII report, the number of cases registered under the PCM Act crossed 1000 for the first time in 2021. The number of cases registered in 2021 was 1050, up by 34% compared to 2020. In other words, while an average of 2 cases of child marriage were registered in 2020, this increased to about 3 cases a day in 2021. Compared to 2019, the number of cases went up by almost 50% in 2020 and more than doubled in 2021. Since 2011, the number of cases registered under the PCM Act has been on a gradual rise. Between 2011 & 2021, the number of cases registered increased by more than nine times. Between 2011 and 2021, a total of 4,654 cases were registered of which 39% were registered in 2020 and 2021 alone. The increase may reflect improved reporting of such cases or the actual increase in the incidence of cases or both. Between 2011 & 2021, one in every five cases was reported from Karnataka Karnataka alone accounted for more than 19% of the cases registered between 2011 and 2021 with 849 cases, the highest among all states/UTs. Tamil Nadu (649) and West Bengal (619) had the second and third highest number of cases registered, while Assam registered 596 cases. Together, these four states accounted for more than 59% of the cases reported between 2011 & 2021. Maharashtra, Telangana, and Haryana too registered more than 200 cases each. These seven states together contributed to 75% of the cases registered under the PCM Act between 2011 and 2021. Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, Kerala, and Bihar reported more than 100 cases each. The 12 states together contributed to more than 90% of the cases registered between 2011 & 2021. The five south Indian states accounted for 45% of the cases registered under the Act since 2011. On the other hand, among the northeastern states, no case was registered in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim while 1 case was registered in Meghalaya, 2 in Manipur, and 12 in Tripura. 97.5% of the cases registered in the northeastern states were registered in Assam alone. Record number of cases were registered by many states in 2021 Between 2011 & 2021, a continuous increase in cases registered has been observed in the states of Karnataka and Assam. In Karnataka, the number of cases registered touched 273 in 2021, the highest so far. The number is higher than the total number of cases registered all over India in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Only Karnataka crossed the 200 cases mark in 2021. In 2021, apart from Karnataka, the states of Assam, Haryana, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal also reported the highest number of cases registered in a year since 2011. Tamil Nadu (169) registered more than 100 cases for the first time and overtook Assam (155) to account for the highest number of cases of child marriage after Karnataka. West Bengal (105) also registered more than 100 cases in 2021.