Dowry is one of the religious concepts that lead to girls early marriages (Mulchandani 72). It is ritualism in India where the family of the bride transfers wealth to the groom's family. Mostly, it is a requirement of marriage from the family of the groom. All the religious faiths in India practice dowry giving. The age of the bride determines the amount of dowry required and given to the groom’s family. The older the girl, the huge the amount of the dowry demanded. Therefore, the formalism of dowry generates fear and pressure to keep off late marriages and trigger early girl marriages.
Also, the prohibition of Child Marriage Act of 2006 defines the marriage age for women which apply only to non-Muslim communities in India. The definition and regulation of marriage for Muslims are based on Nikah and Sharia which is referred as personal Law subject. The concept of personal laws is one of the causes of the girl's early marriages. For instance, about 3400 girls aged between 13 and 18 years were married in Kerala in the district of Malappuram. Among these girls, 82% were Muslims. As a result, the law enforcement has made efforts in solving the situation. However, their efforts of fighting girl's early marriage especially for Muslims has been protested, rejected and challenged in courts by Islamic organizations such as Indian Union Muslim League with the case that the setting of the minimum age for the Muslim girl's tampers with their religious rights (Mulchandani 72).
Protecting the girl's sexuality is one of the causes of early marriages and also related to the concept of religion. In certain religions, there is the significant influence of marrying a girl young which presumes the girl's sexuality; therefore the family honor will be protected by making sure the girl is virgin as she gets married. Virginity of the girl is valuable, and many families believe that if a girl is not virgin during the marriage, it causes dishonor and shame upon the family (Mulchandani 73). Moreover, some religions hold a belief that unmarried women are burdens to the family. Consequently, the families are determined to do everything that they can to evade the stigma and make it safe for the family by pushing their girls to get married as soon as they reach puberty.
Some individuals might argue that the religious causes of early girl’s marriages do not exist. However, having experienced it, it is justifiable that religion is one of the reasons for premature girl’s marriages in India. In the 1930s, unmarried girls were seen as liabilities in the family and every family could do anything to get their teenage girls married. My aunt was born in this old-fashioned family, and my grandparents’ parents were worried that the beautiful daughter might make wrong decisions which could ruin the family’s reputation and family honor if they didn’t plan her marriage early enough. Besides, the family was worried if she gets pregnant before marriage and because of the poverty and the financial problem, the family pushed her to get married at 15 years old.
The causes of early marriages in the line of religious beliefs might be different, but they share some common feature. All most every cause is due to the mindset and the notion that a particular religion holds (Mulchandani 73). In many cases, Muslims are profoundly affected in marring their girl children on their tender ages. This practice strengthens a woman dependency on the man for the rest of her life.
Child early marriages are against the child rights and should be discouraged to ensure better future for the next generation. Apart from religious concepts that lead to early marriages, other causes such as poverty, gender discrimination, trafficking and inadequate laws should be inspected to end early marriages.
Works Cited
Mulchandani, Lata I. "Research on Child Marriages Facts, Causes & Consequences." Paripex - Indian Journal Of Research, vol. 3, no. 3, 2012, pp. 72-73.
ltdprinwival
Early_Age_Marriages_in_India.docx
0
