Silent Victims: The Toll of Child Marriage

BY SALIL Gewali

In the 21st century, if political leaders advocate for child marriage, then they should completely reject what has been brought forth by modern civilization. With such a regressive mindset, they forfeit the right to consider themselves academically enlightened and secular. They should not indulge in the luxury of modern gadgets either!

          One may of course not agree with the Chief Minister of Assam (India), Hemanta Biswa Sarma, on some of his ideas, but his determined stand on eradicating child marriage in Assam deserves high appreciation. If nothing more, it will certainly save the girl child from the onslaught of various detrimental circumstances. The Chief Minister firmly asserts that the repeal of the Child Marriage Act would provide relief from "torture and exploitation" to women in Assam and help to end child marriage. Additionally, the Assam government conducted a relentless crackdown in 2023 on child marriage, resulting in nearly 5,500 arrests.

Child marriage has a profoundly negative impact on the lives of young girls and society at large. Apart from hindering their academic studies, it adversely affects their physical, emotional, and psychological growth and well-being. They are likely to be shut out of the opportunity to become true human beings. They are forced to be cooped into the confinement of suffocation, depriving them of seeing the world from a proper perspective. Realizing the plight of child brides, the historical figures such as Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, and Mahatma Gandhi fought tirelessly for the abolishment of child marriage in India.

          Moreover, evidence from the past clearly shows that girls subjected to child marriage are most “vulnerable” to various forms of domestic violence and sexual abuse, which are often unmentionable. Without exaggerating, they might also become victims of incest, a terrible reality that is often in the news. Such occurrences among certain community are usually “silenced” by intimidation, moral policing, and social stigma. It is unimaginable that a child, who should be playing with toys and friends of her age, is forced into relationships with adult males. Is marriage without consent not utterly outrageous in this day and age?  A Supreme Court lawyer, Lelahi Khan, says that child marriage is the most immoral practice driven by perverse desires. 

         What's particularly appalling now is the opposition of some political leaders to the repeal of the Child Marriage Act. Their open support for such regressive practice in the Assam Legislative Assembly is disgraceful. They roared and shouted as if child marriage were a matter of “female empowerment,” without which the females might be deprived of their human rights and to live in peace. The “underlying motive” behind this protest against the repeal of Child Marriage Act could be even more sinister. Anyway, before advocating for child marriage, let those legislators first consider marrying off their own minor daughters and grandchildren to scruffy aged men.

All right-thinking citizens need to raise the voices before our leaders from certain political parties tear apart the notion of women's empowerment, pushing womanhood into the pit of oppression and exploitation.

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An India-based writer and researcher, Salil Gewali is best known for his research-based work entitled ‘Great Minds on India’, that has earned worldwide appreciation. Translated into thirteen languages, his book has been prefaced by a NASA chief scientist – Dr. Kamlesh Lulla of Houston, USA. Gewali is also a member of the International Human Rights Commission, Zürich, Switzerl