Definition and Background
Child Marriage— Marrying off girls below 18 years and boys below 21 years
India is one of the top ranking countries practicing child marriage, after Niger, Chad, Mali, Bangladesh, Guinea and Central African Republic (Nguyen and Wodon)
Girls within the age group of 15-19 are married off to avoid security issues and poverty
Practiced since ancient period, although strictly prohibited by law during the British colonial rule as well as contemporary legislation (Lal)
Considered as a virtue in Hindu religion, although disapproved by modern perspectives
A declining practice since early 20th century
Still prevalent in rural areas in the states of Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh (Lal)
Preventive Measures
Child Marriage Restraint (Sarda) Act 1929 under Imperial rule
Amended for Muslim community with Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act of 1937
Lastly updated in 2006 by the Indian Government with Prohibition of Child Marriage Act of 2006
Prohibits marriage of women under 18 and men under 21 years age (Nayan)
UNICEF India, UNFPA along with other international agencies are acting to end child marriage and abuse of child brides under SDG 5 (UNICEF India)
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), an international bill is adopted to end gender discrimination and secure the rights of women and girl children (Nayan)
Social Function of Child Marriage
Result of religious traditions, prejudices and social norms
In contemporary timeframe, the prevalence persists due to socio-economic conditions
Poverty, population growth, lack of education and poor women empowerment—key factors of child marriage
Poor families tend to marry off their daughters to lessen economic burden
Lack of security for women also lead to child marriage, transferring the responsibility to the groom’s family
With limited or no education, women are not able to be economically independent and are compelled to rely on male family members for sustenance
Girls are more likely to be affected
Risks—early pregnancy, marital rape, physical and psychological abuse, STIs
Analysis of Preventive Measures
Limitation of legislation in ensuring protection of human rights
Lack of public awareness regarding human rights and child rights
Limitation of legislative measures to address the social and economic factors of child marriage
The patriarchal framework of society reinstates subjugation of women, contribution to the oppression which is not reflected in the course of mitigating measures prominently either.
Alternative Strategies
Alleviating poverty through employment and other economic opportunities
Abolishing dowry system
Focus on women empowerment through education and economic participation
Raising awareness regarding women’s sexual and physical health
Raising awareness regarding human rights, and especially child rights
References
Lal, B. Suresh. “Child marriage in India: factors and problems.” International Journal of Science and Research 4.4 (2015): 2993-2998.
Mahato, Santosh K. “Causes and consequences of child marriage: A perspective.” International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research 7.7 (2016): 697-702.
Nayan, Mir. “Child marriage in India: Social maladies and government’s initiatives.” International Journal of Applied Research 1.5 (2015): 72-80.
Nguyen, Minh Cong, and Wodon, Quentin. “Global and regional trends in child marriage.” The Review of Faith & International Affairs 13.3 (2015): 6-11.
Raj, Anita, Jackson, and Serena Dunham. “Girl child marriage: A persistent global women’s health and human rights violation.” Global Perspectives on Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Across the Lifecourse. Springer, Cham, 2018. 3-19.
Singh, Renu, and Vennam, Uma. “Factors shaping trajectories to child and early marriage: Evidence from Young Lives in India.” (2016).
UNICEF. “Reducing child marriage in India: a model to scale up results.” Retrieved from the Publications website, http://www. unicef. in/Uploads/Publications/Resources/pub_doc108. pdf Vinoba’s thoughts (2016).
