Hyderabad: 250 child marriages during lockdown

Hyderabad: Though the Indian government has banned child marriages, the social evil continues to prevail among the different communities ceremoniously and brazenly in rural areas and clandestinely in urban zones. According to the latest data, 250 child marriages took place in the Old City during the lockdown. Alarmingly, the number of child marriages has gone up by a whopping 100 per cent.

Last year, 110 marriages took place just in the 20-odd slums in Talabkatta and its surroundings with a maximum number taking place in Hassan Nagar. Jameela Nishat, who has been working with the slum dwellers since 2012, says, "The young girls were saved from the old men from the Gulf but due to job loss of their parents and poverty, many were married away to people within the community in a secretive manner, so secretly that even the neighbours did not get a whiff." Shaheen's Women Resource & Welfare Association was able to save eight marriages. Taking advantage of the lockdown, many families got minor girls married as the police were busy imposing coronavirus guidelines and social activists were restricted to their homes. Archana of Shaheen says, "Four witnesses from both sides and a broker is all that is needed to conduct marriages. Also, with the lockdown restrictions, it was all that was needed."

Most marriages took place in Baba Nagar, Shaheen Nagar, Vattepally, Barkas and Hassan Nagar. In most cases, the marriage is from the same slum. Jameela says, "These people are settled here and are not migrants. We go door-to-door and know each one of them. This year it was unfortunate we were unable to monitor due to the lockdown." The spike from 110 to 250 marriages just from 20-odd slums says it all. The coronavirus has not spared anyone, even the minor girls.