The Child Marriage Crackdown in Assam
According to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the fight against child marriage will go on until the 2026 local elections.
Instead of reflecting the happiness of becoming a new mother, Nimee’s eyes convey the anxiety, unease, and sense of dread that permeate her village in Assam’s Morigaon area.
Rezina Khatun looks off into the horizon, attempting to comprehend the unexpected Armageddon that has engulfed her up until now peaceful existence.
Rezina is a mother whose son’s romantic escapade, which had resulted in marriage, has placed him in jail right now. Nimee is one of the thousands of child brides whose husbands were detained in a nationwide crackdown against child marriage by the Assam Police over the last two days.
Up until this past Saturday, police have detained 2,258 persons as part of their campaign against child marriage, including Hindu and Muslim priests who performed such marriages. There are allegedly 8,000 people on the list of accused.
In less than a fortnight after the state Cabinet resolved on January 23 to arrest offenders and launch a significant awareness campaign against the threat, the police had documented 4,074 cases of underage marriage.
“On Thursday at around two in the morning, the door was knocked. Police officers were waiting outside when we opened the door. They removed my husband “In a weak voice, Nimee told media as her one-and-a-half-month-old boy sobbed in her arms, just as he had done when his father had been taken into custody.
More than a year prior, the 17-year-old and Gopal Biswas, a man in his twenties, had wed secretly and eloped. As they began their family, the husband supported them by hawking pakoras and other savoury treats in the town square.
To safeguard their privacy, the names of people impacted have been changed.
“We hardly make enough money to support our own households. Who is going to take care of Nimee and her son? She hasn’t eaten much and has been inconsolable. Currently, the youngster is also becoming ill “Yudishter, Gopal’s older brother, who resides in the same building as his ailing parents, remarked.
Rajibul Hussain, Rezina’s son, was picked up from their home on Thursday at around 6 o’clock, only a few minutes after he and his father had returned from Kerala, where they had travelled to bring back his ailing uncle.
“My son is currently in jail despite the fact that my daughter-in-law is not underage because of an Aadhaar card error. To obtain her birth records, she travelled to our distant hometown “Rezina argued, attempting to persuade anybody willing to pay attention.
Several others, including Rajibul’s wife, allegedly weren’t minors when they got married but their dates of birth were reported incorrectly when they applied for Aadhaar cards, according to a neighbour of the family.
“In most cases, local health workers who have the information based on the Aadhar provided the police with the age information. Currently, we are assisting these women in obtaining their original birth certificates so that their husbands can obtain bail “He declared.
While some women receive assistance and support from their family, many, like Riya Devi, are now at the mercy of the law following their husbands’ detention.
“Due to the fact that we eloped and got married, we have no other family. Where do I go from here with my 1-year-old daughter?” Riya, a 16-year-old temporary resident of a shelter house run by the government, was questioned.
Rupa Das, another prisoner who was 16 years old and pregnant at the time, expressed the same hesitancy. “Free up my hubby. Our marriage was voluntary. In the event he is not present, what will I do? “She beseeched.
Working with people like Riya and Rupa is Parimita Deka, a gender specialist with the state’s Social Welfare Department. “The campaign against child marriage is well appreciated. However, we also have a duty to these women today “She spoke.
“Most of them are kids themselves. We must take care of them delicately and ensure their future “Deka interjected in between counselling sessions to calm the upset women.
Although child marriage is common in the state, the populace was aware of the laws that forbid it.
“We were aware that there was a law, but it was never put into effect. Government should have forewarned us that such strong action is taken for any lapse so that we would be cautious “Yudishter persisted.
Umar Ali, a different local businessman, claimed that while organisations used to raise awareness of it, it was frequently insufficient.
According to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the fight against child marriage will go on until the 2026 local elections.
According to the National Family Health Survey, child marriage accounts for an average of 31% of marriages registered in the state, which contributes to the high prevalence of maternal and newborn mortality in Assam.