How will women live in this society?

- VK Anushree -

Women, always being treated as the ‘second sex,’ leads a miserable life all over the world. They are fighting through their life. Unlike their male counterparts, they have to fight even in the womb; to the right to be born. Then, for equality with their brothers at home, for proper education, in their work place, in married life … and what else they don’t have to fight?
Last week, the High Court of Delhi made a judgment. By that judgment, “the marriage of fifteen year girls will be considered legal.” Even a common man with some logic can find the absurdity in it. According to the prevailing law, in such a situation, the male involved will be arrested for child sexual abuse. Now, the court is trying to legalize the situation. What will we call it other than mere male chauvinism?
Our great leaders like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, by consistent struggles and sacrifices made child marriage illegal. The judiciary made all their struggles in vein simply by a single judgment.
From the judiciary, we expect impartial judgment. Why didn’t it decrease the age limit to the boys from 21 to 18? We all know the characteristics of teenage-especially the age of 14 and 15. Children, in both sexes, will be anxious to know about the opposite sex. There will be a natural mutual attraction between them. They are not mature in this stage. A marriage in this time will be a disaster. There won’t be enough time to make amendments later.
We are living in a society where parents try to kill their girl-children in the womb itself. We are trying very hard to stop this. In the light of this recent judgment, parents to whom girl-child is a liability may try to do their duty by marrying their daughter in the 15th year itself.
The court has gone this far. The time judiciary legalizing female infanticide is not far away. We just have to wait and see when will it happen.