In a case highlighting the persistent issue of child marriage in the region, Andhra Pradesh police arrested a bridegroom and his parents on 18 November 2025 for marrying a 13-year-old girl against her will. The incident took place in Turakapalem village.
The accused had conducted the marriage ceremony at a local church on 9 May 2025. Authorities reported that the pastor and other religious figures presided over the ceremony. The family allegedly coerced the minor into the union by falsely promising she would be permitted to continue her education after marriage.
This case is not an isolated incident. In this report, we take a look at 11 separate instances of child marriages involving evangelical groups in the region between 2011 and 2025. Several of these cases also included accompanying charges of sexual abuse and the violent suppression of the children involved.
#1 Guntur Pastor in Minor’s Marriage & Assault Case – 18 November 2025 – Turakapalem, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh
A 13-year-old girl was married to K Danielu in a local church ceremony on 9 May 2025, officiated by a pastor. The groom’s parents, K. Samson and K. Nirmala, were also arrested. Police reported that after the marriage, the girl was sexually assaulted by her father-in-law. Authorities have registered a case under the POCSO Act and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, noting that action will also be taken against the pastor and the victim’s grandmother who facilitated the illegal union.
#2 Karnataka Pastor Sentenced for Child Marriage – 19 October 2025 – Gangavathi, Koppal district, Karnataka
A court sentenced six individuals, including Pastor Abraham D, to two years in prison for their involvement in the 2020 marriage of a 14-year-old girl. The marriage was solemnized at the Gadwal Camp Church. The convicted also include the groom, Kurupanna, and the parents from both sides. Each was fined Rs. 10,000 by the Principal Civil and JMFC court.
#3 Chennai Groom, Parents Booked for Minor’s Marriage – 2 October 2025 – Besant Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
A 16-year-old girl from Ennore was married to 26-year-old Vignesh Kumar at a church, despite her opposition. Following the ceremony, the victim sought help from the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). Acting on the CWC’s report, the Pulianthope All-Women Police registered a case against the groom, his parents Dakshinamurthy and Parameshwari, and the girl’s parents.
#4 US Polygamist Leader Gets 50 Years for Child Sex Crimes – 9 December 2024 – Arizona-Utah border, USA
Samuel Bateman, a polygamist sect leader, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for orchestrating a scheme involving sexual crimes with minors. Bateman, who had over 20 “spiritual wives” including 10 underage girls, coerced girls as young as 9 into sexual acts. He also schemed to kidnap them from protective custody. An offshoot of Warren Jeffs’ FLDS church, his group practiced polygamy based on his claimed divine orders, leading to his arrest in August 2022.
#5 Ghanaian Priest Marries 12-Year-Old, Sparking Outcry – 30 March 2024 – Accra, Ghana
A 63-year-old traditional priest, Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII, married a 12-year-old girl in a public ceremony near the capital, Accra. The event, defended by the priest’s spokesperson as non-sexual, triggered national outrage and widespread media coverage. In response to the public backlash, Ghana’s Attorney General opened a formal investigation into the incident, scrutinizing the legality and circumstances of the child marriage.
#6 Zimbabwe Sect Blamed for Teen’s Death in Childbirth – 24 April 2022 (Reported) – Harare, Zimbabwe
Fifteen-year-old Anna Machaya died during childbirth just ten days after her birthday while married to a 26-year-old man, Hatirarami Momberume. Her parents, members of the Johane Marange Apostolic Church—a sect accused of condoning child marriage—had consented to the union. After her death, her parents attempted to cover up the circumstances.
#7 Nigerian Bishop Arrested for Marrying 15-Year-Old – 10 September 2020 (Reported) – Idi Oro, Mushin, Lagos, Nigeria
Bishop Stephanos Lucky Enofe, 54, was arrested for marrying a 15-year-old girl. The founder of Spirit of Grace Ministry had been in a relationship with the girl since she was 12. The marriage was formalized through both a traditional ceremony in Abia State and a church service in Lagos. The arrest also included the teenager’s parents, highlighting a collaborative failure in protecting the minor from an illicit and exploitative union.
#8 Nigerian Pastor Arrested in Tamil Nadu for Assault – 23 November 2019 – Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu
Nigerian pastor Nikki Philip, 51, was arrested for the sexual assault of a Dalit schoolgirl after marrying her in a church ceremony. He had lured the victim’s grandmother with promises of a luxurious life abroad. Further investigation revealed the girl had also been sexually assaulted by another pastor, G. Chelladurai, who had made false promises of marriage. Cases were filed under the POCSO Act and child marriage laws against both pastors and accomplices.
#9 Police Halt Child Marriage at Church in Madhya Pradesh – 27 April 2016 – Satna, Madhya Pradesh
Police intervened to stop the marriage of a Hindu minor girl at the ‘Church of God’. The ceremony was being officiated by Pastor Sam Samuel. The groom had converted to Christianity four years prior. Eleven people, including the pastor and the groom, were arrested under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act and sections of the Religious Conversion Act, preventing the illegal union and highlighting the intersection of conversion and child marriage.
#10 US Sect Leader Gets Life for Child Bride Assault – 9 August 2011 – Texas, USA
Warren Steed Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), was sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years for the sexual assault of two child brides, aged 12 and 15. Prosecutors presented audio evidence of Jeffs’ crimes. The trial revealed he had 78 wives, two dozen of whom were underage when he married them, exposing the systematic sexual abuse within the polygamist sect.
#11 Polygamist Ex-Bishop Jailed for Jeffs’ Child Marriage – 8 November 2011 – Texas, USA
Fredrick Merril Jessop, a 75-year-old ex-bishop in the FLDS sect, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for performing the illegal marriage ceremony between sect leader Warren Jeffs and a 12-year-old girl. The court heard that Jessop had married 11 of his own daughters and two granddaughters to Jeffs. This case demonstrated the deep complicity within the sect’s hierarchy in facilitating and normalizing the marriage of minors to older men.
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