PRAJNYA
16 DAYS CAMPAIGN
AGAINST GENDER VIOLENCE 2009
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2009
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Factboxes |
Nov 27 3. Forced and Early Marriage • 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.
featuring S. Sowmya
Vani Mahal, Obul Reddy Hall, G.N.Chetty Road, T.Nagar at 6:00 p.m.
December 5(Domestic Violence and Intimate Partner Violence)
©
The Prajnya Trust, 2009