More than 2,000 people were arrested at the Indian stadium in Assam as part of a government campaign once morest illegal marriages with girls, local police reported today.
Total, 2,044 people were arrested in a two-week police operation in Assam, including 52 priests and local officials who allowed these weddings, according to the state director of police, GP Singh.
According to the state minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, one in eight women in Assam became pregnant before the age of 18, which leads to very high infant and maternal mortality rates. That is why the leader called abolish this “bad practice” and this campaign began, reported the AFP news agency.
12-year-old girls had been married to men, according to Singh. Meanwhile, the police registered 4,074 cases that must be investigated, added AFP.
The legal age of marriage in India is 18 but millions of children are forced into marriage very young, especially in rural areas. Many parents marry off their teenage children with the idea of improving the financial situation of the family.
The consequences of these marriages can be devastating, since the girls have to leave school to take care of the house, without counting on the sexual abuse and problems suffered by getting pregnant at such a young age, AFP concluded.
Telam Agency
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