Marriage, a child's play in Jaipur

May 11, 2005

IANS [ WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2005 12:14:38 PM ]

JAIPUR: Thousands of families, and many thousands of their guests,

all over Rajasthan were getting ready on Wednesday to flout the law

as they organised and attended child marriages on the occasion of

Akshaya Tritiya or Akha Teej.

Though the government has geared itself to preventing this blatant

violation of the law, many households in the state were getting

ready to marry off their children just as they had done for

centuries on the day.

" We have already directed district collectors and superintendents of

police in all the 32 districts in the state to leave no stone

unturned in their effort to prevent child marriages, " said

chairperson of State Women's Commission Pawan Surana.

She said the commission was able to prevent about 500 cases of child

marriages last year.

" Efforts have also been made to generate public awareness against

child marriages through street plays and corner meetings, " Surana

said.

She said parents, the owner of the building where the marriage had

taken place and the priest conducting the ceremony would be booked.

State Governor Pratibha Patil and Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje

have issued appeals not to participate in child marriages as it is a

social evil. The custom has been banned under the Child Marriage

Prevention Act of 1929.

Notwithstanding government assertions, however, the practice

continues unabated in large parts of Rajasthan.

According to activist Rakesh Singh, villagers had begun organising

marriages 10 days before Akha Teej to escape scrutiny of the law.

On Tuesday, the district administration foiled the wedding of a 12-

year-old girl with a 14-year-old boy in Bassi, 30 km from here.

" There is need to create awareness about the evils of child marriage

rather than stopping it, " Singh said.

Clearly, with the number of child marriages being planned for the

day, the government has been singularly unsuccessful in either

creating awareness or stopping the practice.

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