Khusbhoo Begum, a widowed mother of two in India’s Assam state, took her own life on February 3 as local police began making arrests in a sweeping crackdown on child marriage.
Ms Begum, 27, reportedly feared that her father would be arrested for marrying her off in 2012, when she was 16. She was living with her parents after her husband died two years ago from Covid-19.
The crackdown ordered by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has triggered protests by the families of those detained and divided opinion among women's rights activists about the best way to tackle the widespread but illegal practice.
Indian law prohibits the marriage of women below 18 and of men under 21, but the country of 1.4 billion has 223 million child brides — a third of the global total, according to a Unicef report released in 2020.
Mr Sarma cited the alarming rate of underage pregnancies in Assam — 12 per cent compared with the national average of 6.8 per cent, according to a National Family Health Survey report released last year — when ordering police to take action against fathers, grooms, matchmakers and religious officials involved in child marriages over the past seven years.
The Assam government blames child marriage for the state's high maternal and infant mortality rate.
So far, nearly 2,800 people, including about 80 women, have been arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, or Pocso, and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. Convictions carry sentences of up to two years of rigorous imprisonment — jail time with hard labour — and a fine of 100,000 rupees ($1,200).
Authorities have turned sports stadiums and transit camps into temporary jails to accommodate the large number of people arrested.
Most of the arrests are in predominantly Muslim districts, prompting opposition parties to level accusations of religious bias against Mr Sarma, a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
Women's rights activists criticised Mr Sarma’s “iron fist” approach, saying it will do more harm to women than good.
Child marriage has been common in India for centuries for a variety of reasons, including deeply-rooted religious beliefs and traditions, a patriarchal system, poverty, lack of education and gender inequality.
Millions of Indian parents still hold conservative views that drive them to marry off their children at a young age, particularly their daughters, who are largely seen as a financial burden and liability to the honour of their families.
Child marriages continue despite decades of government efforts to halt the practice, which activists say is mainly due to lax enforcement of the law.
But women’s rights activist Ranjana Kumari, director of the Centre for Social Research in New Delhi, says the arrests in Assam are an injustice to those women who will be left without financial support.
“We are against child marriage, but what is happening in Assam is appalling. These actions will render further injustice to young girls who are already pushed into injustice,” Ms Kumari told The National.
“One of the reasons they were pushed into child marriage is that they were considered an economic burden on family and now, with their husbands and fathers arrested, there is no assurance of their economic well-being,” she said.
There are also cases where young couples eloped and got married.
Nimee, 17, from Assam's Morigaon district, eloped with Gopal Biswas, who is in his twenties, more than a year ago. The couple has a six-week-old son.
Mr Biswas was arrested by police last week. His brother Yudishter is worried about Nimee and his nephew’s future.
“We barely earn enough to feed our own families. Who will look after Nimee and her son? She has been inconsolable, barely eating anything. The child is also getting sick now," Yudishter told a local news channel.
Ms Kumari blamed the absence of law enforcement at the initial stages for such marriages and called the drive a futile exercise that is unlikely to help women or bring about any change in the society.
“Where is the law enforcement? The authorities are supposed to prevent the marriage but they’re arresting them now. You don’t achieve social change by iron fist but by building awareness, responsibility and hard work. They’re getting everybody arrested and rendering girls totally destitute,” she said.
She said the government was ignoring its "deeper responsibility of eradicating child marriage by changing social mindsets, mobilisation, creating awareness and more employment opportunities for such women”.
But other women's activists welcomed the Assam campaign.
"I felt good because child marriage is still seen as a malpractice although it is a crime, a non-bailable offence in the eyes of the law," said Kriti Bharti, 35, a rehabilitation psychologist and social activist in Rajasthan.
Ms Bharti is the founder of Saarthi Trust, a non-profit organisation that works for the eradication of child marriage, and was responsible for the first court annulment of a child marriage in India, in 2012. Her organisation has so far helped to annul 48 child marriages in Rajasthan, prevented 1,700, and rehabilitated more than 1,500 child brides.
"It is essential that there should be penal provisions to incite fear among people,” Ms Bharti told The National.
Other states needed to take similar action to Assam, she said.
“At least for the new cases, there should be penal provisions because such marriages have not stopped.”
Ms Bharti said that even when authorities were informed of planned child marriages, they simply warned the families not to go ahead and added the case to their statistics of child marriages prevented.
"But in reality, the marriage is later solemnised in secret. No one is booked and there is no feedback,” she said.
The specs: 2018 Jaguar F-Type Convertible
Price, base / as tested: Dh283,080 / Dh318,465
Engine: 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 295hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.2L / 100km
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- Flexible payment plans from developers
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- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
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Read more about the coronavirus
Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Results
Stage 7:
1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29
2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time
3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious
4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45
MATCH INFO
Arsenal 1 (Aubameyang 12’) Liverpool 1 (Minamino 73’)
Arsenal win 5-4 on penalties
Man of the Match: Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal)
MORE ON TURKEY'S SYRIA OFFENCE
What is type-1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a genetic and unavoidable condition, rather than the lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes.
It occurs mostly in people under 40 and a result of the pancreas failing to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugars.
Too much or too little blood sugar can result in an attack where sufferers lose consciousness in serious cases.
Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the more common type 2 diabetes.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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- 600-seat auditorium
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- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
List of alleged parties
- May 15 2020: Boris Johnson is said to have attended a Downing Street pizza party
- 27 Nov 2020: PM gives speech at leaving do for his staff
- Dec 10 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson
- Dec 13 2020: Mr Johnson and his then-fiancee Carrie Symonds throw a flat party
- Dec 14 2020: Shaun Bailey holds staff party at Conservative Party headquarters
- Dec 15 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
- Dec 18 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
Results:
Men's 100m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 15 sec; 2. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 15.40; 3. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 15.75. Men's 400m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 50.56; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 50.94; 3. Henry Manni (FIN) 52.24.
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Rating: 1 out of 4
Running time: 81 minutes
Director: David Blue Garcia
Starring: Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham
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Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
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Price: From Dh825,900
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
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more from Janine di Giovanni
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
RESULTS
2.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: SS Jalmod, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
2.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
3.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Inthar, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
3.45pm: Al Ain Stud Emirates Breeders Trophy – Conditions (PA) Dh50,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: MH Rahal, Richard Mullen, Elise Jeanne
4.25pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Cup – Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: JAP Aneed, Ray Dawson, Irfan Ellahi
4.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Edaraat, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Abu Dhabi Card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 1,400m
National selection: AF Mohanak
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 90,000 1,400m
National selection: Jayide Al Boraq
6pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 100,000 1,400m
National selection: Rocket Power
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Listed (PA) Dh 180,000 1,600m
National selection: Ihtesham
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 1,600m
National selection: Noof KB
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 2.200m
National selection: EL Faust
Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
RESULT
Chelsea 2
Willian 13'
Ross Barkley 64'
Liverpool 0
