Why are the people in Bihar so obsessed with child marriage? At a tender age, when every child is ambitious to accomplish goals in life, they are forced to marry without even having the degree of excellence in higher secondary education. The worst part is that Class V girls are getting ready for marriage on the outskirts of Bihar.
Needless to say that a basic education is necessary to every human being as that would benefit in many different ways. So long as child marriage practice continues with a steady pace, girls will remain in the clutch of this menace and deprived of basic needs.
Not a long ago, the 15-year-old girl named Pinky Kumari’s wedding was fixed with a 22-year-old widower. She was a Class 8 student at a government school hailing from Bihar’s Gaya district. She was to tie the knot on February 18 and leave her parents to live with her husband and in-laws.
But the teen was not even interested in this practice as it is deemed contrary to the spirit of human values. The child bride took an action following this illegal and forced marriage. Pinky was nurturing a dream to thrive in academics to complete education but her parents were not convinced.
Knowing that things are not going in favour of her, she revolted. She shared with her friends to seek help. “I knew this marriage is illegal. I want to study and complete my education. I tried to convince my parents but they ignored my pleas. I shared my plight with my friends and sought their help. They proved to be my saviour,” Pinky said as per reported by Hindustan Times.
Pinky gathered a group of 30 school girls and walked to a police station in her native Barachatti and explained the things to the cops in details that she had gone through. Much to the courage shown by Pinky, she drew appreciation from the police officers, they were highly impressed. They made sure to take necessary steps and then went to Pinky’s village to convince the girl’s parents to cancel the wedding. The village panchayat too surrendered to girl’s immense pressure.
“It was heartening to learn that after being counselled by our officers, Kumari’s orthodox family voluntarily stalled the wedding and promised to wait for their daughter to attain the marriageable age. The girl’s courage and resolve were laudable,” Gaya police superintendent Garima Mallik said.
The courageous little girl Pinky set an example in the society. The anti-child marriage law sets the legal age for matrimony at 21 for men and 18 for women. She got the backing of The Bihar government that played a substantial role in helping Pinky to combat the traditional practice.
The government has been taking initiatives to create and spread awareness about child marriage and dowry. Because of such campaigns, the lives of many girls below 18 are saved from being married off. “I participated in a human chain campaign against child marriage and dowry on January 21 organised by the Bihar government,” Pinky thanked station house officer Chetananand Jha for his help.
Likewise, the anti-early marriage efforts are happening in neighbouring state Jharkhand as well, where chief minister Raghubar Das encouraged a couple of girls who protested the practice and made sure to save the victims from danger and helped them to relish their dreams.
Child marriage not only ruins the lives of those children but also the lives of next generation as well. It is more important to spread awareness and to save children to value their lives. “Stop child marriage to bring a change.”
