CHILD MARRIAGE: THE UGLY REALITY OF 21ST CENTURY

 "The discrimination against women begins from womb 
and ends with tomb."

In India, Marriage is considered as one of the most important social institutions through which society perpetuates as it is a means of establishing family relations. This social institution is expressed in many forms of rituals and ceremonies. One such way is child marriage.

Child marriage is considered as one of the burning and hot issues of Indian society. It is formal or informal union before age 18. It is a violation of children’s human rights and a form of gender-based violence that leaves physical, psychological and emotional scars for life. It robs children of their childhood and disrupts their education and drives vulnerability to violence, discrimination and abuse. One another form of practice of child marriage is that in which the parents of the would-be bride and groom arrange a future marriage. In this kind of marriage both, the girl and the boy do not meet each other until they reach the marriageable age. 

Early marriage has devastating consequences for a girl’s life. Effectively, child marriage ends her childhood. Girls are forced into adulthood before they is physically and mentally ready. Child brides are frequently deprived of their rights to health, education, safety and participation. What’s more, an arranged marriage often means a girl is forced to wed an, at times significantly, older man.

Girls married young are far less likely to stay in school, with lifelong economic impacts. They are often isolated, with their freedom curtailed. They are at higher risk of physical and sexual violence. Child brides are also at greater risk of experiencing dangerous complications in pregnancy and childbirth, contracting HIV/AIDS and suffering domestic violence.

There are many factors which are considered to be the reasons for the prevalence of child marriages. Some of them are Gender inequality, social norms, perceived low status of girls, poverty, lack of education, safety concerns about girl children and control over sexuality.

Child Marriages are considered as one of the social menaces that cannot be curbed easily without the support of the society. There have been demands to make child marriages void ab initio under the Prohibition of Child Marriages Act since a long time, but Indian society is complicated and complex and making child marriages void will only jeopardize the rights of women who are the victims of child marriage. Mere legislation will not serve the purpose unless there is support and backing from the society. 

There are certain suggestions which can be adopted in order to lessen child marriages:

·       Develop strong support systems to keep girls in school. Provide scholarships where necessary and encourage teachers to support girls.

·       Strengthen and establish community networks and partnerships involving girls clubs, teachers, elders, local government officials, women and youth groups, community and religious leaders, etc. that jointly work towards ending early marriage.

·       Strengthen the role of the judicial system particularly the police, judges, and persecutors through training on enforcement of the law against early marriage.

·       Efforts should be made to give-up the factors motivating child marriages, all efforts should aim at changing the gender biased attitudes of parents and society by imparting proper education on one hand and eradicating poverty on the other.