Putli : The Little Bride

It was in a month of October,a holy month for sacred events. Somewhere in avillage of India 11 year old Putli's house was also filled up with a spirit of the festival. The entire place was decorated with garlands,silk curtains and glimmering lights. People swammed in adding more spirit to the house. Everything was prepared for little Putli. But she was sad, she had tears in her eyes, thinking about the things she will never have again. She sat quietlywhile a woman painted her palms with mehendi. It was a big day for her. It was her day to get married.

Every year many 11year old Putlis have been married away at a young age in India . Though the issue of child marriages has minimized in India at a certain level,but still unfortunately it is prevalent at some remote areas. In India the legal age for marriage is 18 for a girl and 21 for boys. Although certain jurisdiction s allow child marriages under 18 if there is consent of the minor where cultural traditions are more valuable than judicial laws. In India 27% of girls are married before 18 whereas 7% are married before they even turn 15.

Some of the reasons of child marriages can be summed up as follows :-

1) Poverty
About majority of the population in remote areas of India are extremely poor. Young girls belonging to poor families are married off at a young age to reduce the economic burden. Since being a child bride will cost low dowry in the prevelant society so little girls are send off to their husband's home even before they grow enough mature to understand what is marriage.

2) Traditional customs
At remote areaswhere child marriages have great traditional values. A girl or a boy must be married off before their puberty. These customary laws have been a great barrier for banning child marriages

3) Lower Educational reach

At places where modern education had not affected, a girl is considered as liability more than a daughter,is married of as a ‘paraya dhan’ at a young age. Therefore a girl given less education since she would be serving someone else's household after sometime.

4) Betrothal at a younger age

In some places girls are promised or betrothed to other families even perhaps before they were born. Thus when they turn barely 12 they are married off. The girl will never know that they decided her future when she was sleeping in her mother's womb.

5) Her puberty can get corrupted
At places where there is violent caste system,it is considered that a girl must get married before attaining puberty in order to protect her from the glance of boys from lower castes. Thus it is considered very holy to marry off younger girls.

Effects of Child Marriage

• Due to girls being married at a very young age, they are likely to drop out off school with not even minimum educational qualifications. Thus they are subjected to forcibly stay with their in laws as they don't have any other options for independence.

• Nearly 20% of the married girls between the age of 13-17 suffer from domestic abuse, sexual abuse by their husbands and in laws. Some are often exposed to diseases like HIV AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases since they have fewer knowledge about it.

• Young teenage mothers often die during childbirth at a young age, as they were unable to bear the physical and mental pressure.

Government laws against child marriages

The Government of India enacted Prevention of Child Marriage Act in 2006 which is an amendment of the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929. The new act is armed with enabling prohibitions to prohibit child marriages. Here the victims will be protected,sheltered and will provide punishment for those who will abet, promote or solomonize such marriages.

Forcible marriages can lead to vigorous punishment of 2 years in jail custody and fine for rupees one lakh or above.

Other laws providing protection to the child bride is under Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection Act of children 2000) ensures safety to the child victim.

Although education has enhanced people's mindset in villages of India where they are educating their daughters and treating them equally like their son. However certain remote areas are still stuck with the medieval practices of child marriages.A child must be allowed to live, to grow uninterrupted and not to be tied with the shackles of the harsh society.