In general, birth, marriage, and death represent the three main events in a person’s life. However, marriage is the only one of the three that is a matter of choice. Unfortunately, millions of children in the world (girls and boys) have marriage forced upon them without the chance to exercise their right to choose. In India, child marriage remains a customary ancestral practice that seriously harms children’s development and future.
Despite the law, the rate of child marriages remains very high in India
Although child marriage is forbidden by Indian law, this ancestral tradition continues. India, which is ranked second in child marriages in Southern Asia after Bangladesh, has a 
sad record in this area; fully 40% of child marriages today take place there. At birth, the girls are promised to men who are often much older than they are. Then after menarche, generally around the age of 10 or 11, they are married off. These children are torn away from their childhoods and confronted with the realities of adult life very young. Child marriage in India is very common in the rural areas of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, where 47% of girls are married before the age of 18.
Child marriage, a serious violation of children’s rights
Child marriage is a horrendous human rights violation. It impedes children’s development, depriving them of their education, their health, and their future. It especially presents a risk to the health of young girls. Since they’re too young to have sexual relations and withstand a pregnancy, they often die while giving birth or else survive with serious health problems. According to the 2015 UNICEF report, the birth rate among adolescents in India is 39%. With regard to education, girls and boys who are given in marriage are deprived of their right to an education and consequently, to a better future.
The official ban on child marriage through international law
There are many international instruments that forbid and condemn child marriage. Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child deals with child marriage to a certain extent by stipulating that children have the right to freely express their opinions on all 
decisions concerning them. The Convention also forbids all kinds of brutality, sexual violence, and exploitation that are detrimental to the well-being of a child. In addition, Paragraph 2 in Article 16 of the Convention on the elimination of discrimination toward women stipulates that child engagements and marriages have no legal effect. The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child has also come down against child marriage by forbidding child marriages and engagements.
Putting an end to child marriage in India
Although child marriage is practiced in several countries in the world, India alone accounts for one third of married children. It is an alarming situation for which solutions must be found and measures must be taken for a complete eradication of this phenomenon. The Indian government, international organizations, and civil society must increase public awareness campaigns in order to inform parents and young people involved in the practice about the dangers to children and the harmful effects of child marriage on their development and their future.
Written by : Diane BE Translated by: Beth Smith |
http://www.unicef.org/french/publications/files/SOWC_2015_Summary_French_Web(1).pdf )
http://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/MarryingTooYoung.pdf
http://www.elle.fr/Societe/News/Dix-millions-de-mariages-forces-chaque-annee-dans-le-monde-2226606
http://www.arte.tv/fr/inde-mariage-des-enfants/1755842,CmC=2870164.html
