India has the highest number of child brides in the world, with one in every three living in the country, according to a recent World Bank report on violence against women in South Asia. India comes second only to Bangladesh in the prevalence of child marriage, with 57% of the women here having been married before they turned 18, more than 20% having been married before their 15th birthdays.
In the last couple of years amid the many high-decibel discussions about preventing rape in India, khap leaders and even the odd politician has advocated lowering the age of marriage for girls to protect them from sexual violence. The World Bank report, which has analysed existing literature and data from South Asian countries, puts together evidence of how marriage, in itself, affords little protection for Indian women. The younger the brides are, the more likely they are to face physical and sexual violence at the hands of their husbands, the report finds.
India is among the top ten countries in the world in terms of women having experienced physical and sexual violence at the hands of their husbands and intimate partners. Among women participating in a health survey in 2005-'06, 10% reported sexual violence by their partners and more than 30% reported physical violence. India had the largest proportion of women, at least 46%, who accepted the reasons for why they were beaten, punched or choked.
The numbers from the 2005-'06 survey and from more recent literature assessed in the World Bank report shows that married adolescent girls were subjected to more violence than married adult women. Sixty two percent of child brides experienced violence by their husbands in the first two years of being married. Married adolescents were also more likely to think that they had done something to deserve the violence.
A worryingly stagnant if not slightly rising number of dowry deaths over the last decade is another indicator of the continued threat of domestic violence against married women. More dowry-related cases were reported in 2012 than in 2001. The percentage of cases investigated by the police is also rising.
The report also reiterates what a vast body of research from South Asia has already established – that child brides face greater health risks, have more unplanned pregnancies, are more likely to deliver premature and unhealthy babies and more likely to die in childbirth.
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In the last couple of years amid the many high-decibel discussions about preventing rape in India, khap leaders and even the odd politician has advocated lowering the age of marriage for girls to protect them from sexual violence. The World Bank report, which has analysed existing literature and data from South Asian countries, puts together evidence of how marriage, in itself, affords little protection for Indian women. The younger the brides are, the more likely they are to face physical and sexual violence at the hands of their husbands, the report finds.
India is among the top ten countries in the world in terms of women having experienced physical and sexual violence at the hands of their husbands and intimate partners. Among women participating in a health survey in 2005-'06, 10% reported sexual violence by their partners and more than 30% reported physical violence. India had the largest proportion of women, at least 46%, who accepted the reasons for why they were beaten, punched or choked.
The numbers from the 2005-'06 survey and from more recent literature assessed in the World Bank report shows that married adolescent girls were subjected to more violence than married adult women. Sixty two percent of child brides experienced violence by their husbands in the first two years of being married. Married adolescents were also more likely to think that they had done something to deserve the violence.
A worryingly stagnant if not slightly rising number of dowry deaths over the last decade is another indicator of the continued threat of domestic violence against married women. More dowry-related cases were reported in 2012 than in 2001. The percentage of cases investigated by the police is also rising.
The report also reiterates what a vast body of research from South Asia has already established – that child brides face greater health risks, have more unplanned pregnancies, are more likely to deliver premature and unhealthy babies and more likely to die in childbirth.
