Another Balika Vadhu' was in making at Patna on Monday, where a seven-year-old was being married to a 35-year-old man at Purnia. However, she was saved when the police team rescued her from her home at R-block, Patna.
Mehendi and Haldi ceremony of this child bride were going on, when Amrendra Kumar Jha, Inspector, Secretariat Police Station along with lady constables raided the house and rescued the girl child.
The child's father had arranged for the wedding and is on a run since Monday night, after the raid. The girl's mother wept all the way to the police station and fainted a couple of times.
The girl was not even aware of the fact the she was getting married, and was glad that she was being given so much of attention, new clothes and mehndi is being applied on her hands.
According to Child Marriage Restriction Act, anybody who tries to get a child married before the legal age is also punishable by law.
"Trying to get a child married at that tender age is cheating. The child is being cheated and her/his life is being destroyed, and it is punishable act by law," confirms Advocate Shiv Kumar Yadav.
According to Section 420, 406, 504 and 506, a guilty can be sentenced for 3 to 7 years and a fine of Rs.2000 to Rs.5000 can be imposed. In addition, the court has discretion power to impose both.
According to Sarita Sajan, counsellor at Mahila Helpline, they often hear such cases where girls below 18 years, which is the legal age of marriage, are forced into marriages.
"Our work is to counsel the families and tell them that it is a punishable act and that if they force the girl legal action can be taken against them. We try to educate them on the problems that their child will face if she is married before 18, as her body won't be prepared for it, be it mentally or physically," said Sarita.
In most of the cases, a victim's friends or neighbours inform us and help us save the victim's life.
Child marriage has been a part of Indian culture for a long time. Despite so many developments and changes in India and the world, the stigma of child marriage continues to plague the country.
According to social worker, Anil Sulabh, the awareness still has reached its goal.
"For some who understand their child, society's pressure do not matter to them, but there are people who still succumb to societal pressure. They fail to understand the pain and misery it will bring to their child. In this case, this seven-year-old who was about to get married to a 35-year-old was saved because of a medical student who followed her conscious and raised her voice. She informed the local police and then the media after which a raid was conducted and the girl was rescued. So, others should also become aware of their environment and act," said Sulabh.
Sulabh also appealed to all the parents to marry their child only at the right age, when he/she is mentally and physically ready.
Iamin.in also asked few Patnaities about their view of child marriage.
"I don't understand the need of child marriage. My maid got her daughter married at the tender age of eight. She gave birth to a child only at the age of 14. When I got to know about it, I threatened my maid that if she did this to her other two daughters, I will complaint against her and the conclusion was she quit my work. It was one case, and my present maid has four daughters and she wants to educate all of them and she is not bothered about their marriage, this is the other case. So basically it cannot be said that only poor people get their child married at an early age," said Nishi Thakur, 33.
"It will take time for people to understand the need to abolish child marriage. People create hue and cry if a seven-year-old is raped by a 35-year-old, but what do people expect if they marry their seven-year-old child to 35-year-old man? He is also going to rape the child, in both the cases the child will be victimised," opines Kripa, 25.
http://www.iamin.in/en/patna-sahib/news/how-convince-guilty-child-marriage-crime-59103