It takes limitless self-confidence and courage to do what a teenage girl of class IX in Khoksa, Kushtia has done. Within two hours of her marriage to a man of 25 in a neighbouring village, she fled the groom's house and then accompanied by her maternal aunt arrived at the police station in the evening to lodge a complaint. The police swung into action immediately to arrest the bridegroom and the matchmaker on that very night. Then there arrived the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) to hold an on-the-spot mobile court before sentencing the duo to two weeks and a month of imprisonment respectively. This exemplary story of courage and inspiration for many like her has been carried in a leading Bangla contemporary.
This is how the girl saved her from the dreaded child marriage. Most other girls would have submitted to the fate of this premature and illegal wedlock, particularly when it was solemnised. But this girl with a poor family background was made of different materials. She harbours a rosy dream in her bosom ---the dream is to become self-reliant on completion of her study. The teenager was dead against tying the knot so early in her life. Even her parents did not like the idea of marrying their underage daughter off.
Then, how could the marriage take place? It was her grandparents (paternal) who negotiated the matter with the matchmaker and the groom's people. In the absence of her parents, she was threatened with physical harm (her leg would be dismembered if she did not comply, as she later complained) go to the groom's village for the marriage arranged. Thanks to her indomitable courage and resolve to flee the groom's home, she could save her. Anyone can realise how risky it is to evade notice of people for a newly married girl. Unless quick witted, even courage would not have helped her stealthily leave the place, particularly when her opposition to the marriage was not quite unknown. Maybe, she even had to do some acting of a docile and obedient creature who could not take such a venture.
Whatever it may be, luck favoured her and she returned safely to her benefactor, her supportive aunt. This lady is confident that her niece would go far in her study notwithstanding her family's extreme poverty. No wonder, the girl went to her maternal uncle's place after the incident. The report has not mentioned about the economic status of her maternal uncle's family. It is wise enough for her to spend a few days away from home in that family. Her aunt made it clear that if her niece received some support, she could continue her study.
Now the question is if her uncle's family is in a position to provide the required support. The good thing is that the UNO has arranged for receiving updated information about the girl and also assured of help for her to continue study. Let the girl pursue her dream undisturbed.
Her example will inspire more girls facing similar challenges. She is, however, not alone. Quite a number of girls have brought charges even against their parents for trying to subject them to child marriage. A few of them have launched a social movement against this customary vice. They have successfully stopped hundreds of such marriages at the last moment. But during the pandemic and in the post-pandemic time of economic hardship, this social movement seems to have lost much of its steam. But it should not.
What about building up a special fund for distribution among deserving girls from poor families keen on pursuing their studies but under threat of early marriage? Families are getting financially broke due to high inflation. For low-income families, it has become impossible to bear the rising costs of their wards' education in schools and colleges. An emergency fund for helping them out of the crisis is the need of the time. This will avert child marriage and have rich returns in more ways than one.
Meanwhile, the girl's grandparents remained in hiding fearing arrest. But shouldn't the kazi/moulvi who solemnised the marriage without the girl's birth certificate be arrested for his crucial part in the marriage?
nilratanhalder2000@yahoo.com