Rajasthan's Wedding Tent Dealers Stand Up Against Child Marriage

Child marriage may have been criminalised in 1929, but in India, with the lack of on-ground enforcement, the law hasn’t been of much use. A 2014 UNICEF report showed India to have the second highest rate of child marriage, where 47 percent of girls are married before they turn 18, which is the legal age of marriage. Despite being outlawed, it is the grim reality of close to 23 million girls. But pointing a finger at society as a whole would be unfair. Over time several organisations, NGOs and artists have taken it upon themselves to eradicate it in their own way. West Bengal’s Kanyashree Prakalpa Scheme of 2014, aimed to keep girls in school and delay marriage as long as possible; artworks such as the White Bindi Art Project by the No Child Brides movement, and NGO Child Survival India are amongst those striving to rid India of this social evil.

Recently a video of a girl merely six years old marrying a boy, also a minor, went viral on social media and caused quite a storm. The wedding had taken place in Chittorgarh in Rajasthan. Rajasthan has one of the highest rates of child marriage, as reported by Times of India, close to 51 percent of underaged girls are married off. In the state, the onset of Akha Teej, or Akshay Tritiya, is considered a very auspicious and several weddings take place during this time, including the wedding of children. In a bid to curb the rising incidents of child marriage in their home state, close to 47,000 wedding tent dealers have banded together under the Rajasthan Tent Dealers Kiraya Vyavsai Samiti and decided against supplying tents and other wares for illegal underage unions.

Prior to the wedding, they will ask parents to provide birth certificates to ensure that the bride and groom are of legal age. Also, if they discover that an illegal union is taking place, nearby police will immediately be informed. In a meeting held on Friday evening Ravi Jindal, the president of the Samiti, urged his fellow tent dealers to stand together in this endeavour. “When anyone will come to book us to supply the tent and do other decorations, we will ask for the birth certificate of the boy and girl to ensure it is not child marriage,” he said speaking to The Times of India. “If the age certificate if we find that either the bride or groom or both are minors we will not only say no to the booking, but we will also inform the police and other officers concerned.”

In the districts of Chittorgarh, Dungarpur, Banswara, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Churu, amongst others, child marriages have taken place on numerous occasion, even during mass wedding ceremonies prior to Akha Teej, during the last week of April and the first week of May. It's no secret that the wedding industry in India is huge and the demand for decorations during this time obviously rises, but with this decision taken by the tent dealers, there are sure to be obstacles for those attempting to indulge in this illegal practice.