Child Marriage in India: Socio-Legal and Human Rights Dimensions

This book places the subject of child marriage firmly within the context of international human rights. It shows how child marriage violates every human right to which a child is entitled: the right to health, to education, to equality, to liberty and security of the person and of course the right to make a free and informed choice of a spouse. The book focuses in particular on the devastating effects of such marriages on the health and development of the girl child. It shows how the practice of child marriage reinforces the basic problem of low levels of health, and education among women. It also contains a powerful critique of the state of the law, the lacunae in it as well as the confusions, contradictions, and lack of gender sensitivity inherent in the provisions of various statutes dealing with the age of marriage, the age of consent, and the validity of marriage. The author has given significant suggestions as to actions which can be taken by interested persons and NGOs to challenge and change the existing situation.