Sixteen-year-old Madhu had been staring at an uncertain future ever since her elder sister Guddi was forced to marry by her family at the age of 17, a fate faced by millions of teenage girls every year in largely conservative and patriarchal India.
But her fears have largely vanished after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently vowed to increase the legal age of marriage for women.
“I can continue my studies and then decide when to marry and have children," said Madhu.
Guddi, now 20, launched a legal battle to annul her illegal marriage in 2018. She said she was just three years old when her alcoholic father fixed her marriage. After her father’s death and when the time came for Guddi to be sent to live with the family she had been promised to, her mother Dhapu Devi refused, acting to get the marriage annulled.
She may have been saved from a child marriage, but Guddi was stopped from going to school and suffered mental trauma as neighbours badmouthed her for not moving in with her in-laws.
“I don’t want to suffer like my sister,” said Madhu.
Indian marriage laws prescribe a minimum age of 21 years for men and 18 for women but families rampantly flout the rules. About 1.5 million underage girls married in 2017, according to Unicef. A report by the UN group also found that 27 per cent of girls in India were married off before turning 18.
India first codified marriage laws under British rule in 1929 and then again in 1978, raising the legal age for marriage for men from 18 to 21 and from 14 to 18 for women.
Offending parents can be imprisoned for two years for arranging such marriages, with rare convictions recorded in recent years. India’s Supreme Court ruled in 2017 that sex with a minor wife is rape but that such underage marriages, although illegal, do not automatically become void, something that encourages many parents to organise marriages in secret or falsify birth records to bypass the law
But under India’s conservative traditions many parents, particularly in the countryside, still consider their daughters are a financial and safety burden and force them into early marriages to rid themselves of the liability. As a result many of these girls are unable to continue their education and are forced into domestic work and child-bearing before their bodies are full developed.
Yet there has been progress in recent years.
This map shows the number of 20-24 years olds who were married under the age of 18:
This map shows the number of 15-19 year-olds in child marriages - and it is clear there are far fewer than in the older cohort:
Experts say Mr Modi's announcement is part of his government plan to reform India’s health and population policies which still lag behind global standards on many indicators, including child and maternal safety, despite significant improvements in recent years.
“To end malnutrition among girls, to assess what should be the age of marriage, we have set up a committee,” Mr Modi said in his address to the nation on the eve of India’s 74th Independence Day.
"The government is planning to increase the age of women from 18 to 21,” a Ministry of Women and Child Development spokesperson told The National by phone.
“Revisiting the marriageable age of girls in India came into the mind of the Government due to several factors like immaturity, too young to understand for getting married, high infant (particularly female) mortality rate, family and social pressure. There may be other legal factors too. All this when combined could be the reason for doing a rethink on the issue," he added.
The country’s main challenge is to improve its dismal maternal mortality ratio that stands at 113 per 100,000 women and infant mortality ratio of 30 out of 1000 that many experts blame on early and unplanned pregnancies, poverty and lack of information about general and reproductive health.
A government survey in 2016 found that 50.4 per cent of pregnant women were anaemic.
Early marriages are also blamed for lower levels of education among women, financial dependence and lack of overall growth of women in the workforce. Currently only 27 per cent of women are employed in India, a Deloitte report found in 2018.
“It will bring women at par with men, give women an equal opportunity to finish their studies and be empowered,” Kriti Bharti, a rehabilitation psychologist and anti-child marriage activist told The National.
“Parents marry off their young girls because they think she is a burden,” said Ms Bharti, who has helped Guddi and 40 other girls to annul their marriages in the western state of Rajasthan, where child marriages are common.
Ms Bharti said the government needed to ensure that the laws are implemented and awareness is generated about the benefits of later marriage.
Many experts have said that raising the legal age for marriage could help India control its burgeoning population as it will delay births and reduce the childbearing span for women. However, some fear that could also increase cases of elopement and force millions of women out of the formal reproductive healthcare framework because of the stigma attached to pre-marital sex in the Indian society.
The legal age for sex in India is 18 for both men and women .
They fear raising the age bar could also lead to an increase in secret illegal marriages.
“Increasing the legal age is not a solution to ensuring safe motherhood, it is also about ensuring access to information and services on sexual and reproductive health care, contraception and abortion and to make health care affordable,” said Bharti Ali, co-founder and executive director of the Haq Centre for Child Rights.
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.
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HAJJAN
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Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
Based: Dubai Media City
Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)
Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech
Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year
Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020
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Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
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
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
FIXTURES
New Zealand v France, second Test
Saturday, 12.35pm (UAE)
Auckland, New Zealand
South Africa v Wales
Sunday, 12.40am (UAE), San Juan, Argentina
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
F1 drivers' standings
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 281
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 222
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 177
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 138
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 93
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 86
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 56
Bharatanatyam
A ancient classical dance from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Intricate footwork and expressions are used to denote spiritual stories and ideas.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Short-term let permits explained
Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Hurricanes 31-31 Lions
Wellington Hurricanes:
Tries: Gibbins, Laumape, Goosen, Fifita tries, Barrett
Conversions: Barrett (4)
Penalties: Barrett
British & Irish Lions:
Tries: Seymour (2), North
Conversions: Biggar (2)
Penalties: Biggar (4)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
