Mar 9, 2022

A Conversation on Early Marriages with Breakthrough India

Shonottra Kumar

Recently, we spoke to our friends over at Breakthrough India to understand the problem of child/early marriage in India and how we could work towards ending this societal evil. Here’s the discussion that followed:

Child marriages or early marriages – what is the correct term?

Colloquially, we have always understood this issue to be termed as ‘child marriages’. But does this term represent all nuances involved in this problem? Breakthrough India explains why we should call it early marriages and not child marriages:

Impact of early marriages

Early marriages have a long term effect on the families as well as the child bride and groom. Breakthrough India explains how:

Raising legal marriageable age for girls from 18 to 21

This year, it was announced that the age of marriage for girls would be revised from 18 to 21. Is that an effective strategy to combat early marriage?

How can we work on preventing and reducing early marriages

Spike in Child Marriage during COVID19 lockdowns

Many reports from around the globe have confirmed that one of the major side effects of the lockdown was an increase in early marriages. Breakthrough India discusses how the same can be addressed:

Law on early/child marraiges

The law that makes this practice of early/child marriages illegal is the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. To know more about this law, read this simple explainer on child marriages. If you have more questions on this law, Ask Nyaaya.

Have a question you want to ask our legal experts?

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