CRADLE SNATCHING !
Child marriage is one of the major social evil prevalent in our country, and I was surprised to know that even today ,more than 25% marriages are child marriages!(Knot before 18,Cover Story, THE WEEK,July,22,2012)
While social customs, pressure from relatives and panchayats may be blamed for this, the major culprits for child marriage are parents and often their poverty. A large number of parents are convinced that the girls are not a part of the family but for the other house, sasural ! Marriage for them is more of a ritual , to be performed ,half heartedly as a duty, earlier the better. In most cases they want to get over with their so called responsibility as early as possible and so agree or rather willingly indulge in this crime at the first opportunity This is also a measure to decrease one mouth to feed in the house and to save on education and a reflection of insecurity on the part of parents ,lest they may later not find a suitable match and may have to give a larger dowry. This crime becomes worse in a large number of cases when its only the girl who is underage, and the husband is much older and often marrying for the second time .A fair number of these girls never reach their sasural for various reasons, the boy, on growing up may refuse to accept the decision taken earlier by his parents, or may move out of the village to city for work and never return or may become victim of some illness or death.The desperate girl in these situations has no option but to fend for herself, as both the houses wash their hands off her and there is no option for a second marriage. Even if she gets shelter in her home, it is only till the father is earning and parents are alive.
The law adds to the confusion, by keeping age of consented sex between adults,well below the marriageable age and in certain situations ,having different ages for marriage in different states. It’s shocking that most of these child marriages happen right under the nose of the police and guardians of law, who not only turn a blind eye, but often are a part of the celebrations too!
It’s high time that the judiciary, society and above all parents open their eyes, recognize the ill effects of this wrongly timed sacred ceremony and join hands to stop this social evil and work towards empowerment of the female child to help her lead a respectful and happy life later!
Prof Sanjay Kapoor, Kolkata