'Child brides in schools common, we can do little,' teachers in Rajasthan villages

NEW DELHI: When Rani and Pinki (names changed) came to school wearing sindoor and colourful bangles, their teachers suspected the obvious but chose to overlook it. The sisters, aged 15 and 16, were married at their home in Hanuman ji Ka Jhopda village on July 15, two days before the annual wedding season ended, according to some accounts. The sisters, belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBC), study in classes 9 and 10 in a government school in Bundi’s district’s Hindoli area's.

Despite laws again child marriage, the practice persists in this Rajasthan area. At times, the in-laws' are seen dropping a little bride on a motorbike to school. Rukmani Bai (name changed), who works as a househelp in Buni city, told PTI that as the elder aunt, she did Rani’s “kanyadaan”. Rukmani Bai had taken four days' leave from work to attend the weddings of her two nieces and shopped for gifts worth around Rs 10,000 for them. A government school teacher, on condition of anonymity, said they do notice some girls suddenly coming to class wearing sindoor and bangle, but they can do little about it.

"Sometimes girls in the class are heard whispering about their mate's weddings. The bride usually either shies away or avoids the question by turning her face to the other side," he said. The teacher said complaining to authorities yields little once the marriage has already happened. And there is always the risk of inviting the wrath of the local people who may respond by taking the girl out of school. When asked about the sisters’ wedding, her teachers expressed ignorance. But they confirmed that the two sisters had been absent from class for quite a few days.

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Annual marriage trend

Parents in rural belts sometimes marry off their younger daughters along with the eldest to save money. However, the younger brides are not sent to their in-laws' house until they attain adulthood, according to the people in the area. Though authorities keep a watch on such marriages, the machinery is not foolproof, more so when mainstream politicians say there's nothing wrong with it. Some villagers cited the “positive” aspects of such alliances and even call for an amendment to the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. "Minor couples prefer education and government job for girls and they continue their wards' study in school and college even after child marriage," said a villager.

Dikshant Soni, Bundi district general secretary of the BJP's OBC forum, admitted that child marriages do take place in villages and demanded modification in the Child Marriage Act. Soni said parents in rural belts are forced to marry off their girls at an early age due to poverty. He also blamed the trend on “changing food habits" which, he claims, leads to early puberty. "Girls and boys tend to get mature early and bring humiliation to parents by eloping," Soni said. According to Deputy Director Social Justice and Women Empowerment department Bhairu Prakash Nagar, child marriages often take place on and around Akshya Tritya. When asked about the two marriages in Hindoli village, he said he did not know about them.

Local Deputy Superintendent of Police Ghanshyam Meena denied reports of child marriage in the area. A few other teachers PTI spoke to revealed that Rani and Pinki were not stray incidents of child marriage. A teacher claimed a class 7 girl in Sukhpura village of Hindoli was found to have been engaged to a class 9 boy last year. Another class 7 girl was found to have been married last year. A class 10 girl was married off on March 4 this year to a power maintenance worker, according to the teacher. Two underage girls dropped out of class 12 and chose to live at their in-laws' home after they were married off last year, a teacher said. According to the latest National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21), 23.3 per cent of women aged 20-24 were married before the age of 18.