Cynthia Gorney Too Young To Wed

The word marriage evokes a sentiment of beauty and calming serenity. Images of beautiful bridal gowns and well-dressed men in tuxedos are often the first to come to mind. Yet these images that represent so much, the perception of unity between two people, are often assigned to couples over the age of 18. Northern Indian families have been placed under great scrutiny in the international spotlight as of recent due to forcing their young daughters into early marriage. Child marriage is an abhorrent practice which relegates young girls to a life forfeit of education, opportunities, and choice, which reinforces a misogynist and patriarchal society in India.

Child marriage has existed for hundreds of years, and has played an important role culturally.

It often signified a trust between two family lines, or was symbolic of a family's ascension to dominance. In spite of its cultural prominence, the phenomenon of early marriage has often been ostracized externally for the marriage of increasingly younger girls, some as young as toddlers. Human rights activists today consider the practice a disgrace, and even degrading of the sacred marriage rite.

Cynthia Gorney's article, Too Young to Wed, explored her journey into the underground world of child marriage.

She noted that some of the marriages were merely "business transactions" in which the girls served as assets to settle debts. Gorney came across many shocking cases of the practice, particularly with a five year old girl Rajani, who was being married to a ten year old boy. Rajani possessed no concept of "marriage" nor of its affiliated concerns. Her opinion of the matter was simply irrelevant, as her parent's had decided her future

already.

But perhaps the most appalling part of child marriage is its negative consequences. Cynthia Gorney came across a seventeen year old girl, Shobha Choudhary, who expressed great concern over her marriage to an older man at the age of 8. She described him as "uneducated" and in need of being "taught some things". Shobha was known to be brilliant, bringing electricity to her home, and even teaching her mother to write. Shobha's case brings to light the particularly upsetting fact that early marriage strips young girls of their chance at education. Participation in her guana (the ceremony where a wife moves in with her husband) would inevitably result in Shobha's inaccess to education.

Inequal acccess to education has long allowed males to advance further in society than females.

Gender equality is still a very young concept in India, and early marriages may further threaten the human rights ideal. And while a lack of access to education is of great concern, other Indian girls are faced with peril by the hands of their husbands. Gorney highlighted the tragic case of Nujood Ali, a ten year old girl forced into early marriage by her father. The girl's husband had promised to abstain from intercourse until she was older, but broke his promise on the first night. Nujood's family did nothing after seeing the "bloodied sheets".

The despicable crimes comitted against Nujood did not break the girl's strong spirit, instead she decided to do what few other girls had done, fight back. Nujood succeeded in securing a divorce with her husband, and is now actively trying to educate others about the risks of early marriage. Her courage is a rarity among other child marriages throughout India, and serves as proof that the young girls do not want these marriages, and are devoid of choice in these

arrangements.

The question of how this issue can be resolved is one of great concern among modern political activists. Gorney specifically spoke with many human rights organizations when writing her article. The organizations were all in agreement, child marriage was something that had to be stopped. Interestingly enough, the marriages are already considered illegal in India, but inactive enforcement of the laws is preventing any real protection of these innocent girls.

Child marriage is particularly shocking to hear about from a Western perspective, where democracy and free ideals are the standard. Hearing of the lack of choice in such junctures is astounding. Unfortunately this reaction does not translate the same to Indian culture, where many families fail to report the activities of known instigators of child marriage to the police. Some communities even accept and actively allow it.

The issue of child marriage is a complex one that will be difficult to resolve. The inaction seen by Indian authorities on the issue coupled with the cultural acceptance of the practice has allowed it to continue to thrive. Child marriage continues to degrade young girls throughout India while divesting them of their innate rights. Awareness is the greatest weapon in fighting child marriage, and stopping innocent girls like Nujood Ali from being exploited.