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In South Asia, coronavirus and poverty are forcing girls as young as 8 into marriage
- Forced marriage has long been a problem in India and Pakistan, but the pandemic has made things worse by forcing millions out of work
- Girls are seen by some as a financial burden from the moment they menstruate. For desperate families, marrying them off seems an easy option
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Young girls in India and Pakistan dream of an escape from marriages motivated by economic considerations. This story is part of a series on women’s issues in China and Asia to coincide with International Women’s Day.
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For Manju*, 17, of Hansiyawas village in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan, stopping her 20-year-old married sister, Babli*, from staying with her husband is the best way to prevent her own marriage.
Babli was married when she was 8 but the “gauna” – when the bride is sent to live with her husband’s family and become sexually active – is yet to take place.
“Soon after my sister goes to her husband’s house, my parents will make sure I get married,” said Manju, a Class 12 student who got engaged when she was barely 12.
Their father, who used to earn about 15,000 Indian rupees (US$205) per month by cooking in weddings, was left with no work after the Covid-19 lockdown was announced in March last year. The family had to exhaust its savings of 50,000 rupees and sell milk just to survive.
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During the lockdown, Manju’s parents discussed her marriage, but they didn’t have enough cash. When her father finally started earning again in January, a wedding season, the pressure to get married mounted.
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