MARRIAGE AT FIFTEEN!! CHILD MARRIAGE

MARRIAGE AT FIFTEEN!! CHILD MARRIAGE

In India the decision of the Supreme Court is final and binding. So when the suggestion of lowering the marriageable age of girls from eighteen to fifteen was seriously considered there was a big hullabaloo around. From politicians and social activists to the layman. Everyone wanted to express words of support or criticism to this topic. All the people are united on the fact that an individual is considered an adult only after attaining eighteen years of age. So bringing down the age of marriage by three years will be like forcing immature girls to behave like adults at very tender age. It is disheartening and shocking to know that such a topic was taken into consideration in this twenty first century, when women are so much aware of there potentialities and will not want to be curbed.
Are we leading the womenfolk of our nation back to the dark ages of child marriage? A fifteen year old girl would only be a 10th standard student probably studying and aiming for the stars. Wouldn’t marriage cut the stem of the bud that can’t wait to bloom? A fifteen year old person irrespective of the sex of the individual is hardly aware of responsibilities and is definitely not in position to shoulder critical issues regarding life. It is the when they are budding and should be allowed to spread their wings, to explore the things around them, to realize the consequences of their actions, to decide about their future and most importantly have the chance and ability to dream- TO DREAM BIG.
Nowadays, in the world of globalization we see women emerging as leaders and inspiring role models in various fields. No longer is the world dominated by the commands of men. Women have shown their potential and have proved to the world that they are as precious as diamonds and that their worth cannot be ignored. In India itself women like Sonia Gandhi, Sania Mirza, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Teesta Setalvad, Preity Zinta and the like have even proved their mettle and have made men envious. If a powerful youth icon like Sania Mirza who is just eighteen years have been married off at fifteen years of age, would she ever have reached the position of fame and power that she is in today? Would she ever have had total control over her decisions? The answer to these questions is definitely in the negative. In India married women are considered subordinate to their husbands, they do not usually have an equal say in decision making. When mature women of twenty four- twenty five years are in such a situation, then what will be the plight of a fifteen year old married girl? How will she ever be encouraged to speak up for herself?
We are a nation that openly condemns our traditional customs of sati and child marriage. So is this latest suggestion any sort of such a crime? It definitely stands on the same pedestal of injustice by denying the social and human rights of the girl child. The system dowry will increase tenfold if this is brought into force. The girls can leave behind their dreams of independence and freedom in the gutter because it might take ages for their hopes and aspirations to see day light. Evils like rape and polygamy will prosper. If the court decides the minimum age of marriage for girls it has to put a tab on the maximum age for men to marry. Or it will be a miserable sight to see poor uneducated girls getting betrothed to men twice their age. Has any one wondered what harm this might to do to the emotional side of such girls? Education and literacy will have to take a backseat because poor parents will not bother to educate their girls and will be eager to utilize the money to marry them off.
We point our finger against prostitution and trafficking of minor girls. By lowering the marriageable age we will be openly throwing our girls into the mouth of the dragon to be engulfed in its flames. Is it possible for a teenager to make decisions regarding the family? How will the problems of female infanticide and infant mortality ever cease to exist…? It is not humanly possible for such young girls to raise her opinions regarding family planning. Moreover this cannot happen since she will hardly be educated to understand the relevance of such terms. These young wives and mothers will have to be dependent on their husband for their livelihood as they will not be qualified enough to take up careers. Hence the scope of enjoying independent careers and income is out of the question.
Voices of those like Teesta Setalvad, Barkha Dutt, and Nafeesa Ali will be drowned in the see of raging evils such as this. More than looking into this issue from a feminist, political or practical view point we have to focus on the humanitarian issue. Is it right for us to throw away the lives and future of these young girls who are just in process of realizing their potential and importance.
If a court ruling lowering marriageable age of women to fifteen is made, it will certainly be a regressive one instead of being progressive. We have to open our eyes and realize the serious consequences this can have on our young women. We have to give them a a chance to built their own future. They too have voices, they too have dreams. Marriage is a holy ceremony to be entered into by the full willingness of the bride and the groom with an awareness of the situations they may have to face after marriage. Let it remain holy and not become a burden to be done away with. Our women should get the opportunity to enjoy their freedom, only then will they respect marriage.

Article By, Rhea George, St.Teresa's College