Young Indian Women rescued from forced marriage.
Today October 22nd, around 8 am in Dharmapuri, India a 15-year-old young (who is left nameless due to child protection laws) has been successfully rescued by Child Welfare Committee (CWC) members 10 days after she was forced to wed a 26-year-old laborer. The girl’s parents are being named the force behind the marriage to the much older groom. The marriage of the child has been annulled and she has been taken into the protective custody of the CWC. Under the Guardians and Wards Act of 1890, the marriage of a child (anyone under the age of 18) is unlawful and illegal in India. According to reports of the CWC, there has been a huge upscale in the number of calls received in regards to child marriage. I do not find this shocking seeing as it is a very new idea within Indian culture that the forced marriage of children is unlawful. Even with the Guardian Act communities used to be quiet regarding the details of marriages of a child to an older spouse. The child's international rights have been violated in this situation in regards to her right to choose romantic partners. Article 23 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states that
“The right of men and women of marriageable age to marry and to found a family shall be recognized. No marriage shall be entered into without the free and full consent of the intending spouses. States Parties to the present Covenant shall take appropriate steps to ensure equality of rights and responsibilities of spouses as to marriage, during a marriage and at its dissolution. In the case of dissolution, provision shall be made for the necessary protection of any children.”
I believe that removing the child from her parents since they had violated her rights was the correct action to take. The idea that she was forcefully marriage at such a young age is, in my opinion, horrendous and I am glad that the Indian government is putting more resources towards answering the calls of young women who are being forced into marriage.
United Nations Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner. 1966. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Article 23. Ratified by the General Assembly. https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/ccpr.aspx
NCPCR. The Guardians and Wards Act. 1890. PDF.http://ncpcr.gov.in/showfile.php?lang=1&level=1&&sublinkid=270&lid=708
Srividya, P.V. October 22nd, 2018. Minor Girl Rescued from Marriage: Child Line, with police help, rushes to temple to take action. The Hindu. Tamil Nadu. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/one-minor-girl-rescued-from-marriage-another-untraceable/article25267321.ece
