Child Marriage Prohibition Officers

Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CPMO) are appointed by the State governments to curb issues of child marriages in each State. These officers are responsible for reporting and preventing child marriages. 

The duties of the CPMO are decided and assigned by the State Government. They broadly include:

• Prevention of Child Marriage by preventing performance of child marriage by taking such action as he deems fit.

• Collection of Evidence for prosecuting persons charged under this law. 
• Advising and counselling people of a locality against indulging in any child marriages in any way.
• Spreading Awareness of the problems that arise out of child marriages, such as maternal mortality, malnutrition, domestic violence, etc.
• Sensitizing the community on the issue of child marriage.
• Reporting periodical returns and statistics to the State Government on the frequency and occurrence of child marriage. 

In order to effectively carry out their duties, the State Government can even confer upon the CPMO some powers of a police officer with certain conditions and limitations. This has to be done by way of a notification in the Official Gazette. 

To read more about the functioning of the CPMO, please refer to this Government Handbook that explains their duties in detail. (page 19-22)