November
27 (unpublished)
Nov
27 |
3.
Forced and Early Marriage |
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•
56.5% of Indian women between 20-49 years were married by the age
of 18; of these, 66.9% experienced domestic violence. (UNICEF Report,
Early Marriage, 2005)
• Girls are married very young either for economic reasons
or to ensure that they prove malleable in marriage.
• Marriage is also seen as a protection from sexual predators.
However, early marriage also leaves adolescent girls vulnerable
to forced sexual relations. If the groom is also young, then the
young bride is vulnerable to sexual exploitation by older men in
her marital family.
• Girls who resist early marriage sometimes become victims
of honour killings.
• Married adolescents find it hard to negotiate contraceptive
use, placing them at risk for HIV and other infections.
• The minimum legal age of marriage in India is 21 for boys
and 18 for girls. Age proof is required to register marriages to
protect both boys and girls from the consequences of early marriage.
|
In
Concert: Celebrating Defenders Of Women’s Rights,
featuring S. Sowmya
Vani Mahal, Obul Reddy Hall, G.N.Chetty Road, T.Nagar at 6:00
p.m. |
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