Child Marriage

What marriage exactly is? The legally and formally recognized        union of a man and a woman as partners in a relationship is known as marriage. No law, No book, No Google says marriage is a union of two children. A little boy and a little girl. In India, when a girl is below 18 and a boy is below 21 or in simple words both are under age is considered as a child marriage.

We must be feeling, now a day’s people are rational, they have got senses, how can they even think of existence of child marriage. Child marriage in today’s world sounds hypothetical. But we can’t turn our face from the harsh reality that it does exist. And will remain into practice until and unless we realize to raise our voices against this menace. The sad news is its still prevalent in India in number of villages and districts. Even mega cities provide shelter to child marriage. Nobody is concerned to protest against such so called merrymaking. They think that it is personal matter of families. This is happening with the consent of the family members. No! This is not so. Anything which is illegal does not involve personal opinion. Child marriage is a crime.  It is a serious and heinous offence. Those who do and those who tolerate this crime are criminals.

Recently, I visited my friend’s home. I saw a kid sitting in her verandah. His age was hardly two. I asked my friend about the child. She said the child belongs to her maid. Not paying much heed we entered her living room. After few minutes, a girl carrying tray filled with snacks and drinks disconnected our conversation. Suddenly, my attention was on her and I was expecting her to be the mother of the child playing in the verandah. I enquired her age and to my fear, she was 16. This disturbed me to the worst. “Kya tumhari shadi marzi se hui hai tumhari? Khush ho tum?” I questioned the young mother. She responded, “Aap meri jagah hoti toh khush hoti kya?” I had no words to combat her reply. This taboo to our society is still prevalent and its roots are way too strong.

We think that child marriage is only practiced in villages or families who can’t afford to feed their children or are uneducated. Balderdash. When I passed my 10^th standard, one of my friends who came from a rich background and well off family was put to marry a 32 year old man. She was just 15. Was it justified to make her marry to such a big man? We need to understand why the mentality of our society even after being in 21^st century is not changing?  Is it hard to understand the feelings of poor little kids who just have arrived in this world? The shoulders which are happy to get burdened with books are in actual gets responsibilities. If this is what cultured people do or this is some stupid traditional activity, then to hell with it. I don’t understand religion, I don’t understand traditions, and I don’t understand customs, rituals or stuff like that when it comes to kids. I deny to believe that poverty is the main cause of all this. Being poor makes you go off your child into some dangerous hands?  Child marriage is illegal. People should be punished in fact seriously punished for this devilish act.

Are we fools who can’t see what child marriage leads into? Emotional trauma, physical torture, psychological harm is the dangerous consequences of child marriage. “Bacche paida hi kyu karte ho agar paalna nahi aata toh?”  Give them who are in need of a child. At least they would respect your child’s life.

There are innumerable laws. But they are of no use. A law is for a lawyer. For a layman knowledge of right and wrong is important. See what your conscious allow. If u can’t follow what law is then at least follow humanism. Give a child his right to freedom and security, his or her right to choose one’s own partner when he/she is physically, legally and mentally prepared. When parents mentioned the term marriage and a poor girl did not even was aware with the meaning of it, she got married.

Shockingly, India stands on the first position of child marriage all over the world. What a shame on us. Administration is doing its due. It made laws. Now, it is our duty as a citizen, as a human to give children their rights and stand united against any kind of exploitation.