child marriage

Child Marriage



This story is from many villages around India. Child marriage- Its a tradition of our country which is being followed from a long time. My name is Saijal, my age was just 12 and I was in class 5 (the expenses were taken care off by an NGO), when my father told me that I can't go to school anymore as he had decided that I should get married.

The person I was supposed to get married to was 30 years old. I got married according to all the rites and rituals. It was hardly few days that I had married and even before I could actually understand anything I was burdened with all the household work like washing clothes, cooking food, cleaning the house and looking after the cattle, etc. One day I went off to sleep after finishing all my work when my husband came into our room drunk and started misbehaving with me. I got scared and started shouting and screaming when my mother-in-law came in the room and they both started hitting me. I realised that I shouldn't have shouted. After few days I fell ill and started vomiting. I was taken to a doctor and then I came to know that I was pregnant. Slowly, I started becoming weak and a lot of other diseases started creeping up. My mind stopped working and gradually and I was becoming insane. The doctor had warned that I was too young to give birth and it could be dangerous, but still I somehow managed to give birth to my baby. This had taken a toll on my body and the doctor warned me that next time he won't be able to save me. Me and my child were not physically fit. My child fell very ill and eventually died. My mother-in-law started torturing me more after that incident. Again after some days my husband came home drunk and started misbehaving with me. This time I couldn't take it and tried to stop him. While trying to stop him I injured him and ran away to my maternal home. I pleaded them to let me stay but they forced me to go back. I was very sad and started walking back when I noticed my best friend. I told her everything and then she took me to her house. She told me to file a case against my husband and my mother-in-law, which was ruled in my favour and they were jailed. I went back to the NGO who were funding my education. They provided me a place to stay, and even helped me complete my education.

Now I am 19 years old and I work against child marriage in the same NGO. This is my request to all citizens of our country to join and protest against child marriage.

By
Tamanna Parveen
(Kolkata Sanved)