Underage marriages low in Chhattisgarh’s Naxal hit areas

RAIPUR: Defying the national trend of 33% of women getting married before the age of 18 years, the hotbeds of Naxalism in Chattissgarh – Bastar, Bijapur and Narayanpur – have less than one-fourth (25%) of women tying the knot before their legal age.

Contrary to the general perception that underage marriages are more prevalent in tribal societies, but Naxal affected areas of the state have lesser number of girls marrying before the age of 18 years even when compared to the urban cities of Chhattisgarh like Raipur and Drug.

While the latest census report 2011 reveals that across the country almost one-third of women (33%) get married before the age of 18 years, in Chhattisgarh the number of such girls over 38%. Interestingly this figure is much higher in Durg where 44.7% of women tie the knot before the legal age of 18 years. In comparison, Raipur is lower at 36.8% but if compared to the national average, its high.

In contrast, the Naxal affected and tribal dominated areas of Bijapur, Bastar and Naryanpur have far less number of women getting married before the age of 18 years. The figure is the lowest in Bijapur where only 12.27% girls married before their legal age. The figures in Bastar and Narayanpur are 22.2% and 17.45% respectively.

As far as males are concerned, in Chhattisgarh 9.74% married before the age of 18. This figure is higher than the national average of 6%. The legal age of marriage of for males is 21 years.

Here too, the cities surpass the tribal areas with higher percentage of boys getting married before attaining the age of 18 years. While the figures in Raipur and Durg are 8.28% and 12.5% respectively, the Naxal affected areas of Bastar, Bijapur and Naryanpur are much lower at 3.42%, 2.26% and 2.60% respectively.

Talking to TOI Shatabdi Pandey, a social activist and former member of the state’s Women Commission, insecurity among women in urban areas is the main the reason for early marriages. She said unlike the urban areas, girls feel more secure in their own communities in tribal populations.

She said, “social and sexual danger of single women in urban areas is the main reason for their early marriages”.

According to the census report, 34.2% of all married women in the state, tied the knot between the age of 18-19 years. There numbers however get decreasing at the age of 20-21years (14.9%) and 22-23 years (5.17%). The numbers of women getting married above the age of 30 years is extremely low as only y 11,225 (0.15%) tied the knot above the age of 34 years.

When compared to the neighbouring states, barring Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh has a higher number of women getting married before the age of 18 years than Odisha (24.7%) and Maharashtra (28%). In MP the figure is however higher at 39.5%.

According to the data, about 4.3% of the state’s adult population (above 25 years) remained unmarried.

By: Anuja Jaiswal, TNN | Apr 5, 2015, 09.53PM IST

Courtesy: The Times Of India

Another athiest blogger, Washiqur Rahman Babu hacked to death in Bangladesh

Another Bangladeshi blogger has been hacked to death in the country’s capital Dhaka. Police arrested two suspects near the scene after the latest attack targeting atheist writers in the predominantly Muslim country.

Three men attacked blogger Washiqur Rahman Babu near his home in Bangladesh’s capital just weeks after a prominent Bangladeshi-American blogger Avijit Roy was killed by unidentified assailants.
The 27-year-old, who was attacked with machetes, was declared dead when he arrived at Dhaka Medical College Hospital early Monday morning (local time).
“Blogger Washiqur Rahman Babu was brutally hacked to heath this morning…just 460 meters (500 yards) from his home at Dhaka’s Begunbari area,” deputy police commissioner Wahidul Islam said.
“They hacked him in his head and neck with big knives and once he fell on the ground, they then hacked his body,” he added.
Babu was an atheist blogger who wrote under the pen name Kutshit Hasher Chhana, meaning Ugly Duckling, on Facebook.

We condemn this attack and urge all rationalists, freethinkers and humanists to join the protest.

 

 

The constitution of Bangladesh, adopted by the Bangladesh Parliament on 4 November 1972, in its preamble paragraph 2 accepted “nationalism,” “socialism,” “democracy” and “secularism” as state principles. In the context of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the nation, defined it in the following words:

“Hindus will observe their religion; Muslims will observe their own; Christians and Buddhists will observe their religions. No one will be allowed to interfere in others’ religions. The people of Bengal do not want any interference in religious matters. Religion cannot be used for political ends.” (Government of Bangladesh, Parliament Debates, October 12, 1972 (Dhaka: Government of Bangladesh, 1972), 20.)

 

To implement the above, Article 12 of the constitution stated that the principle of secularism shall be realized by the elimination of:

• Communalism in all forms;

• The granting by the state of political status in favor of any religion;

• The abuse of religion for political purposes; and • Any discrimination against, or persecution of persons practicing a particular religion.

(The Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Ministry of Law (Dhaka: Government of Bangladesh, 1972), 5.)

Article 38, paragraph 2 of the constitution further states: No person shall have the right to form or be a member or otherwise take part in the activities of, any communal or other association or union, which in the name or on the basis of any religion has for its object, or pursues a political purpose.

(The Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Ministry of Law (Dhaka: Government of Bangladesh, 1972), 13.)

The Mujib regime was brought to an abrupt end through his gruesome murder by a group of army officers on the night of 15 August 1975. With the change of regime, nationalism in Bangladesh also took an explicit turn toward religion.  The coup leaders obviously wanted to capitalize on the existing public mood, which was increasingly enthusiastic about the adoption of Islamic values. The coup leaders therefore used Islam to secure—and to a certain extent legitimize—their position. It is therefore not surprising that the coup of August 1975 was declared in the name of the “Islamic Republic of Bangladesh.”

Through the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of Bangladesh on 7 June 1988, Islam was declared as the state religion of Bangladesh (Article 2, Clause A) with the provision that other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony in the republic. (Government of Bangladesh, The Constitution, 5.)

But in 2010, the High Court held up the secular principles of the 1972 constitution.

The High Court also strengthened its stance against punishments by Islamic edict (fatwa), following complaints of brutal sentences carried out against women by extra-legal village courts.

However both  BNP as well as  Awami League continues to please the fundamentalist Islamic group.

In 2013, number of secular and rationalist bloggers were arrested blasphemy law and IT Act of 2006 sec 57A by Bangladesh government lead by Awami league.