Agency thwarts illegal child marriage in India

[Holly3278]

While highly illegal throughout India, child marriage is a custom that is still widely practiced. It’s estimated that half of all Indian women have been married before they reach the age of 18. The Childline India Foundation is working to halt this practice, in order to insure that Indian girls and women have the opportunity to finish their education and move forward in the rapidly modernizing world.

catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=47962

I am so happy to hear that Childline India Foundation is making such good progress in thwarting child marriage in India. Child marriage is wrong and it needs to stop now.

 

[marvinb1]

I agree that it is wrong for us now. but didint we as catholics do this for years and it was accepted? IS the only reason we look down on it now is because we changed our mine on who long a person is a child? I thought MAry was like 13 or 14 when she Was married to joseph.

 

[Holly3278]

I agree that it is wrong for us now. but didint we as catholics do this for years and it was accepted? IS the only reason we look down on it now is because we changed our mine on who long a person is a child? I thought MAry was like 13 or 14 when she Was married to joseph.

I really have no idea if Catholics have ever practiced it or not. That said, Mary was a young woman when she was married but as far as I am aware, we don’t know exactly what her age was when she married Saint Joseph.

 

[RPRPsych]

catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=47962

I am so happy to hear that Childline India Foundation is making such good progress in thwarting child marriage in India. Child marriage is wrong and it needs to stop now.

The Government has officially raised the age at marriage to 21, but such practices continue in some pockets of the country. However, with the efforts of such agencies, we hope that they will soon be a thing of the past.

 

[Holly3278]

The Government has officially raised the age at marriage to 21, but such practices continue in some pockets of the country. However, with the efforts of such agencies, we hope that they will soon be a thing of the past.

I honestly wonder if the marriage age here in the United States shouldn’t be higher than 18. I fear that far too many people get married at too young of an age.

 

[jilly4ski]

The Government has officially raised the age at marriage to 21, but such practices continue in some pockets of the country. However, with the efforts of such agencies, we hope that they will soon be a thing of the past.

What’s the purpose of raising the marriage age to 21? That seems patently absurd. 18 and 19 year old’s are not children. (Especially for poor areas where men and women don’t have college aspirations). Not to mention people in the US can get married before they are 18 (I think 16 is the youngest age), either with their parents’ permission or with a court’s.

 

[RPRPsych]

What’s the purpose of raising the marriage age to 21? That seems patently absurd. 18 and 19 year old’s are not children. (Especially for poor areas where men and women don’t have college aspirations). Not to mention people in the US can get married before they are 18 (I think 16 is the youngest age), either with their parents’ permission or with a court’s.

It’s one of our Government’s many “high ideals”! Comes with the territory.

To be precise, it’s 21 for men, 18 for women. So a guy of 21 marrying a girl of 19 would be legal, but a guy of 19 marrying a girl of 18 would not.

Some groups have argued for a uniform age of 18 for both men and women, but that hasn’t taken off yet.

And in fact, it’s not followed too strictly. 18 is what is generally used as the “unofficial” cut-off point here. And thanks to some “escape clauses”, even 15 is permissible for Indian Muslims. Which I totally disagree with (21/18 is fine with me, 15 is…well…), but that’s a topic for another thread!

 

[porthos11]

It may just be worth noting that the Code of Canon Law sets the minimum marriageable age for men at 16 years, women at 14. That’s quite young, but it is indeed permissible under universal Catholic law (particular law may vary).

 

[SeanF1989]

What’s the purpose of raising the marriage age to 21? That seems patently absurd. 18 and 19 year old’s are not children. (Especially for poor areas where men and women don’t have college aspirations). Not to mention people in the US can get married before they are 18 (I think 16 is the youngest age), either with their parents’ permission or with a court’s.

The marriage age was 21 (in the UK anyway) until 1969 when it was lowered to 18.