“We are human beings; we make the traditions so we should have the right to change those traditions” – Malala Yousafzai
When a girl is about fourteen or fifteen years old, she dreams about making her career the ambitions are very innocent from doctor to astronomer to teacher they want to become everything which would bring a smile on our parents’ face, but the child is married to a boy of her age or someone older. Imagine your fourteen self and ask yourself what would you feel when instead of excelling in studies your parents want you in kitchen.
Child Marriage, well most of us believe that this is something which was eradicated a long time ago, but that’s just an urban resident point of view, in the villages of UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and even Kerala it is deeply rooted.
UNICEF defines Child Marriage as a marriage of a girl or boy before the age of 18 and refers to both formal marriages and informal unions in which children under the age of 18 live with a partner as if married. The world’s second most populous country India with 1.4 billion people already hosts the world’s largest number of child brides – 23 million, according to a 2019 report by UNICEF.
Some residents of rural area justify this act by saying “My daughter won’t be starving for the rest of her life after my death”, what if instead of giving away your earning as a dowry you invest it for her education and then for the rest of her life, she would be a strong independent woman. My grandmother was a bright student, one day out of curiosity I asked was she forced to marry when she was child, she said “ it was something everyone did, it was in society we lived in” people have normalised child marriage for long time justifying it by labelled it as the act of saving their daughter’s life and a safe future for her.
The consequences of child marriage are well known, they strikeout opportunity of education from a child’s life, and practice indulgence of an oppressed life, where the girl ends up giving birth to child when she herself is one, and it is often possible for the girl to die while giving birth. These young girls now suddenly have to behave like adults and take up responsibilities, and stress follows behind and forced into sexual intercourse leading to high chances of contracting sexual transmitting diseases. It is also found that it is often a cover for trafficking, they are only married to be sold off later.
To the urban resident, we were not always such rational thinkers, we’ve improved and learned and here we are but isn’t it our responsibility to ensure something as child marriage, and child birth is cut off from their roots and thrown away, shouldn’t we show some humanity, every child deserves education, a chance to make her own career. Another old wives’ tale that revolves around the girl child is that she is considered “payara dhaan” someone else’s wealth, that child is a part of your flesh your DNA, why isn’t the boy child given the same treatment and instead considered as an insurance for old age.
At the end of the how many parents will you punish and is this a permanent solution? when educated individuals step out to take the first step to promote gender equality, to promote women empowerment and child rights, spread awareness in whatever way possible there is hope for chance. You could tutor the unprivileged children you promote education, when you talk to the household servants about how girls are no less than boys you stand by their children and support them. Awareness and protest go hand in hand when you spread awareness more people realise the importance of the issue when you talk about it more people come forward to join.
”Extremists have shown what frightens them most; A girl with a book” – Malala Yousafzai
