Bachpan Bachao Andolan rescues minor girl from clutches of child marriage

Jaipur, Sep 15: Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) founded by Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi rescued a 14-year-old girl sold as a child bride from Jaipur city on Thursday. The minor girl hails from a remote village in Dholpur district and has now been sent to the city's government shelter home after medical examination.

According to the minor girl's statement before the police, she was married off to a 40-year old man after her mother's live-in partner sold her to the man for Rs 3 lakh in December last year. Her husband belongs to a different village from Dholpur district. She said, she came to stay at her mother's live-in partner's house after her mother started to live with him a few years ago. But her mother's live-in partner used to physically abuse her and constantly taunted her for being a liability.

Recounting her horrors from her marriage, the minor girl told the authorities that her husband used to physically torture her and sexually assaulted her several times. She said that she was forced to do all the household chores and was severely beaten up on resisting. Also despite her resistance, her husband forcefully had sexual intercourse with her several times. She was publicly shamed too and mentally harassed by her husband and in-laws for not being able to conceive. She said in the past she made many futile attempts to sneak away from her in-laws ' home to escape her miserable life and finally succeeded this week.

After escaping from her in-laws' house, she reached Jaipur on her own to escape from her painful life and find protection from her husband.

After receiving information from sources about a lonely girl in Jawahar Circle area, activists from Bachpan Bachao Andolan rescued the minor from the place. The activists then brought the minor to Jawahar Nagar police station to register an FIR.

At present, Jawahar Nagar police have registered a zero FIR under Section 5 & 6 of POCSO and 376 of IPC. Further police are also looking into the prospect of invoking relevant Sections of trafficking laws as the minor girl was sold and trafficked to a different location.

Manish Sharma, director of Bachpan Bachao Andolan said, ""This incident highlights the plight of victims of child marriage and the pain they go through early in their life. It is high time that child marriage is looked at as a major crime against children rather than an acceptable social practice".