Even as India has become home to the largest number of child brides in the world, it has set up a 10-member task force to determine the right age for women to marry and become mothers.

Headed by Jaya Jaitly, an Indian politician and social activist, the task force which will also examine the correlation between the age of marriage and motherhood will submit its report by July 31.

According to a study conducted by global agency UNICEF in 2017, as many as 27% of girls in India are married off before their 18th birthday. The study further says that at least 1.5 million girls under the age of 18 are married in India every year.

There are fears that the situation exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic hitting economies of people will drive many families, especially in India to marry off their daughters early.

India drafting law to increase nuptial age of girls – Anadolu Agency