Six Arrested in Bhopal for Illegally Selling 12-Year-Old Girl for Rs 40,000 Marriage Deal

Six people have been arrested in the Indian city of Bhopal after a 12-year-old girl was sold for marriage to a 27-year-old man for INR 40,000 ($540). The vigilance of officials from the women and child welfare department prevented the illegal marriage from taking place on Badli Navami, which took place on 20 April this year. The police received a complaint regarding the proposed nuptials, filed by welfare officer Pankaj Lohati and acted swiftly to detain the minor bride and take five members of the two families involved into custody. They also arrested a middlewoman responsible for arranging the marriage.
According to police, the marriage was arranged for INR 40,000, of which INR 20,000 was paid in advance, with the rest due after the ceremony itself. Each of those arrested has been charged under Prevention of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), as well as other relevant offences, such as using words, gestures or acts intending to insult the modesty of a woman, or to outrage her modesty.
The PCMA, introduced in 2006, aims to prevent the marriage of underage boys or girls on the grounds that it is tantamount to a form of child abuse. The Bhopal Prevention of Child Marriage cell stated that cases of underage marriage have increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the state of Madhya Pradesh alone, over 1,000 child marriages have been prevented by officials since March 2020. Such cases typically result from poverty, social customs, and the need for dowries.
Campaigners across India continue to call for better implementation of the PCMA, as many families still carry out such marriages, facilitating the abuse of children who are forced into the arrangements. Unless more is done, the problem of child marriage is unlikely to show a significant decrease in the near future.