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The government is planning to increase the minimum age of marriage for girls from 18 to 21.Do you think this is a good idea?
While this seems progressive, a deeper look shows us that things are not what they seem!
Raising the minimum age of marriage does more harm than good – especially to girls.
Read on for five reasons why.
Raising the minimum age of marriage does more harm than good – especially to girls.
Read on for five reasons why.
1. 18 is the age of adulthood all over the world. At 18, you're legally allowed to vote, drive & marry nearly everywhere!
By raising the #AgeOfMarriage to 21, women are again stripped off the power to take control of their lives – ceding this power to the State & their parents!
By raising the #AgeOfMarriage to 21, women are again stripped off the power to take control of their lives – ceding this power to the State & their parents!
2. Early marriage is a deep-seated social custom whose root causes (school dropouts, poverty, patriarchal beliefs) must be tackled! Experts believe that raising minimum age of marriage won't curb early marriage – just drive it underground!
Early marriage is so commonly accepted that the State's bodies simply look the other way as they happen, making legal interventions less effective.
3. In 2015, 63% of women got married under 21– a majority from Dalit & Adivasi families.
Is a solution that criminalises our most vulnerable the right way?
Wouldn't it be better to positively incentivise them to not marry early?
Is a solution that criminalises our most vulnerable the right way?
Wouldn't it be better to positively incentivise them to not marry early?
4. The current law, Prohibition of Child Marriages Act, isn't working well.
Only 645 cases were registered under PCMA in 2016, even though 1.5 million girls marry under 18 each year!
Clearly a legal route isn't effective to curb early marriage. What other methods are there?
Only 645 cases were registered under PCMA in 2016, even though 1.5 million girls marry under 18 each year!
Clearly a legal route isn't effective to curb early marriage. What other methods are there?
5. Investing in access to education for girls has been proven to reduce early marriage!
Girls with 12+ yrs of school get married 5 years later than girls with 0-5 yrs of school.
Focusing on education & employment opportunities increases girls' ability to negotiate marriage.
Girls with 12+ yrs of school get married 5 years later than girls with 0-5 yrs of school.
Focusing on education & employment opportunities increases girls' ability to negotiate marriage.
Research shows that raising the minimum #AgeOfMarriage is NOT the most effective solution to end early marriage.
Plus, it criminalises the most marginalised, without offering support to disincentivize early marriage!
Still think it's a good idea? #EmpowermentNotAge @OxfamIndia
Plus, it criminalises the most marginalised, without offering support to disincentivize early marriage!
Still think it's a good idea? #EmpowermentNotAge @OxfamIndia
If you want to take action to stop this move, go to @OxfamIndia's #EmpowermentNotAge campaign page!
You can:
• post on your social media (using a Social Media Toolkit)
• call/email your local MP (find contact details & a script)
• sign a petition
Go! https://www.oxfamindia.org/blog/empowermentnotage
You can:
• post on your social media (using a Social Media Toolkit)
• call/email your local MP (find contact details & a script)
• sign a petition
Go! https://www.oxfamindia.org/blog/empowermentnotage
