History of Child Marriage in India
Above: Child brides and their brass lotha and tharia dowries circa 1915.
http://www.guardian.co.tt/sites/default/files/field/image/Child%20Brides%20circa%201915.png
In the earliest known history of India from 200 BC to 700 AD, young men and women rejoiced a liberal concept of love.
They had the freedom to choose a partner and enter into romantic relationships with each other without any fear of scandal...
1
During the Middle Age, as states and governments developed, the political system elaborated and modified the Indian society.
This transformed the lifestyle and opinion of its people from a simple to more complex form, restricting the notion of liberty...
2
Women lost their rights and had to obey rules and respect the code of behavior. They were now subject to family discipline and honor of their clan.
Since young women were considered irresponsible and irrational in love, parents married them early before they got caught into any scandal...
3
Ages at which the girls were to be married differed and it was rare for girls younger than 12 to be married in the past.
The girl brides became younger towards the Medieval period, and it became increasingly common for girls as young as six or eight to be married as Indian society.
4
The prime concern of negotiating the marriage was to find out the compatibility of the families. It was believed during those times that if two persons know each other right from childhood it enhanced understanding and affection.
Hence, parents decided on the marriages of their children at a very early age although the daughter stayed with the parents until she attained the age of puberty.
5
In India, marrying off a daughter means one less mouth to feed, which is why children are forced to illegally marry very young. CBN News was there for one ceremony...
Published on Oct 22, 2012
The prime concern of negotiating the marriage was to find out the compatibility of the families. It was believed during those times that if two persons know each other right from childhood it enhanced understanding and affection.
Hence, parents decided on the marriages of their children at a very early age although the daughter stayed with the parents until she attained the age of puberty.
5
Child-marriages have been illegal in India since the 2006 passage of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, but the practice persists unabated, particularly among the rural poor. (India officially raised the legal marriage age to 18 in 1978, although the law was actually enacted in 1973).
6
However, a recent landmark development in India may finally begin the process to bring this evil to an end. Laxmi Sargara, an 18-year-old girl in Rajasthan in northern India, was able to get her “marriage” annulled by a court.
7
All information on page retrieved from (Terres d'Asie, 2010)
Learn about Laxmi Sargara's story in the video above...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1K0IG9Zgl8