Home Page > Contribution > Early Marriage: Robbing Children of their Basic Rights
Balancing Schoolkids

When I look back at my childhood days, I’m filled with pleasant memories of innocent fun and basking in immense pampering. My Parents loved me, protected me, supported me, gave me good education, allowed me to think and take decisions independently, and are my biggest source of strength to this day. Alas! This isn’t what a lot of rural girls get to experience. It disgusts me and sends shivers down my spine when I think about all that they are forced to go through.

It is extremely sad and ironic that in India where people worship Goddesses; fast during ‘Navratras’ to please Goddess Durga for the well-being of the family; worship Goddess Lakshmi for prosperity; worship Goddess Saraswati to bestow one with knowledge, wisdom and talent; yet on the other hand, the women in the country face all kinds of violence. Early marriage happens to be one of the many issues.

In spite of having child protection laws in place, the same are being exploited. Here are some of the rights that are robbed away from these young brides:

The Right to Education: Early marriage thwarts girls from seeking education. Many of them are forced to drop out. Some of them never get to join one. In India, where girls are taken as a burden, especially in rural families, poor parents refrain from spending money on the girls. Statistics prove that girls with higher levels of education are less likely to marry very young.

The Right to Information: Children have a right to know about their rights. However, the overall illiteracy rate in India itself is at quite a sad level. The ambit of information for the young rural girls is far limited. The rural moral police argue that the girls be kept away from information so as to keep them in control.

The Right to Expression: Children have a right to express themselves freely, however, the girls are often told to maintain a demure image. Young rural girls are often married off without their consent. They are not allowed to express their opinions in their matrimonial homes.

The Right to Nutrition: According to ‘smile foundation’, one in every two girls in India is undernourished. With limited means, the male children in the family get the lion’s share in comparison to the girls. The Government of India runs free mid-day meal scheme in Government schools, however, the same has turned out to be quite a failure on myriad levels and most girls aren’t even sent to schools.

The Right to Health and Care: The young girls who are struggling to figure out their own anatomy, are forced to get married. Young girls, who are often married off to much older men, are often raped and battered by their partners. Their bodies are too tender and the act turns gruesome, leading to physical and psychological injuries. They are forced to procreate when their bodies are not prepared for sustaining pregnancy and labour. According to International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), girls younger than 15 years are five times more likely to die during childbirth than women in their 20s. This also leads to infant mortality. These young brides are not in a position to discuss family planning with their husbands and often go through multiple pregnancies.

The Right to Protection from Abuse: According to ICRW, girls who marry before 18 years are twice as likely to go through physical and psychological abuse, than their peers who marry later. They are often battered and raped by their intimate partner and in some cases by other family members as well.

The Right to Protection from Exploitation: Young brides are forced to do all the household work and serve their husbands and in-laws. While child labour is banned in India, forcing the household burden on the tender shoulders of young brides goes grossly against this right.

The Right to Protection from Neglect: At an age when children should be cared and protected, child brides are completed neglected the special needs that children of their age group require. They are extremely traumatized and find it difficult to come to terms with their situation. They are expected to merely do the household chores, procreate and take care of the children.

The Right to Development: Every child has a right to develop to his/her full potential. In spite of the calibre to develop themselves, child brides do not get a shot at it. Their education, interests and hobbies are ignored and they are forced to remain timid brides. Development of individuals leads to a developed nation. However, the primitive mindset of the rural population restricts the nation’s progress.

The Right to Recreation: All children have a right to indulge in some sort of recreational activity, playing, pursuing a hobby, meeting friends, reading, indulging in entertainment but young brides are confined to the four walls of the house and restricted to serving their husbands and in-laws.
Every child has a right to a happy and healthy upbringing and no one should be allowed to take that away from them. Educating the parents and the girls about the gross effects of early marriages, along with stricter laws and inevitable punishment will hopefully help to keep a tab on the issue.

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surbhiSurbhi Tangri is a journalist turned freelance writer. Her short stint at journalism helped her realise her passion for writing. She feels strongly against social issues and prejudices and believes that they hold the nation back from progressing in the real sense. She also believes that the only way these issues can be rooted out is through extensive awareness, for the laws have been in place for far too long. She’s here to raise a clarion call against these issues and urges the youth of the nation to wake up from their slumber and join this crusade towards building a healthy society. You can read more of her work on her blogs http://surbhismusings.wordpress.com/ and http://eternalsunshine17.blogspot.in/

 

Image Source: Venkataramesh.Kommoju

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