Closer Than We Think: Fighting Child Marriage in the Shadows of Urban India

Child marriage is often perceived as a problem confined to remote villages, far removed from urban centers. However, the grim reality is much closer to home. Who would have thought that in a village in Gautam Buddha Nagar, bordering the National Capital New Delhi, child marriage is not an exception but a norm?

So when Amrita (name changed), a teacher, found out about her 15-year-old student’s impending marriage, she was caught in a dilemma. Despite wanting to help, she feared reporting the crime that could risk her life and reputation in the community.

Eventually, she acted, but with a firm request: her name or identity must not be revealed. “It can pose a real risk to me if the community gets to know that I was the one who reported this marriage,” she said to a community social worker.

This incident occurred in a village in Gautam Buddha Nagar in Uttar Pradesh. Fifteen-year-old Sneha (name changed) had lost her mother, and when her father remarried two years ago, he left Sneha in the care of her maternal uncle and aunt. Struggling financially, her relatives decided to marry her off to a 30-year-old man. To them, marrying her off meant one less mouth to feed and the end of their responsibility for her.

When Sneha learned about her family’s intentions, she was terrified. An otherwise timid girl, Sneha couldn’t stay quiet this time. It was not the fight for a full night meal that she could give away. It was the fight for her life and future. So she did what she thought was the best – She decided to fight.

Sneha immediately rushed to meet her teacher, Amrita, the one person who never flinched at her sight and often smiled when they met. Her warmth always felt safe, a feeling that was a rarity in Sneha’s life.

Amrita understood the legal consequences of child marriage, but she also knew the societal norms that perpetuated it. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, she reached out to the Social and Development Research Action Group (SDRAG), an organization dedicated to child protection and rights in the region which often visited schools in the district for awareness programmes.

SDRAG is a member of Just Rights for Children (JRC), a network of over 250 NGOs working across 416 districts in India, including 40 districts in Uttar Pradesh. The network has successfully prevented 250,000 child marriages nationwide through legal interventions and awareness campaigns, and all its partners have been using these strategies to prevent and stop child marriages to end this crime by 2030. JRC has also played a pivotal role in securing landmark judgments to end child marriage in the country.

So when Amrita contacted SDRAG and talked to Muskan Gupta, the Community Social Worker there, she knew that she had made the right decision and called the right people.

“I wanted to help Sneha at all costs. She had shown so much trust in me and I couldn’t have let her down in any case. I knew that the NGO would know how to deal with the situation without bringing me into the picture,” said Amrita.

A team from SDRAG, along with local authorities, visited Sneha’s uncle and aunt. They informed the family about the legal repercussions of conducting a child marriage and the severe consequences they could face. Confronted with the facts, the family eventually relented and signed an undertaking promising not to marry off Sneha until she turned 18.

This case exemplifies the resilience of a young girl determined to shape her destiny, the courage of a teacher who overcame her fears, and the swift, decisive action of an organization dedicated to protecting children. Together, they saved Sneha from a life of abuse, apathy, and danger.

Sneha’s story is a reminder that child marriage is not an issue confined to far-flung villages but one that can exist in the heart of urbanized regions. It highlights the need for community awareness, stronger support systems, and collective action to challenge deeply entrenched norms. While the Government of India has launched the ‘Child Marriage Free Bharat’ campaign, the onus lies with us too to take a stand against child marriage and work towards a future where every child’s rights are safeguarded.