Marriages are considered to be when two people have that understanding and acceptability and so it can be a valid one when both are matured. But if one is less matured and the other is more then it leads to problems and the lives of both are neglected. Child marriages are like these, where one of gender i.e., female, a minor and is married to an elder or aged person than her. It happens to be very old age thought of a society to marry a girl before her age or as soon as she completes basic education.
The legal age for marriage for women is 18 and for men is 21 but many rural areas are violating these legal things and making their child marry at an early age. It is also seen today also, in some rural areas in spite of acts and laws, society does what they feel right for them, but the life of children is at stake when they are forced into doing marriage. India has the highest number of cases of child marriages and it is also observed that not at age of 18 but at the age of less than 18, girls are married off.
Many think they are a burden on the family and there’s no need to give her higher education because after all they have to be at home after marriage and making them study more is a burden and a waste of resources. There are acts and laws for the prevention of child marriage, Child Marriage Restraint Act, Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, but many are violating these and still, child marriages are taken up by them.
There are government schemes and many NGOs are creating awareness regarding child marriage and their issues and how it affects young minds and it makes them and their future miserable.