
An Indian girl of
eight is believed to have become the world's youngest person to ever be
divorced after leaving her 14-year-old husband.
Fatima Mangre was
married off at the age of four by her father Anil in Nakhi village, in the
Shravasti district of India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh in an arranged
marriage with 10-year-old Arjun Bakridi but the marriage was annulled four
years later when the boy came to collect his bride and her father Anil said he
realised it was wrong to force her to marry at such a young age of four.
He asid he wanted to
wait till she was 18 before leaving.
He said: 'I finally
realised that this practice of marrying off daughters so young was wrong and
that she should have a childhood, and that it was my duty to provide that.'
According to report,
Arjun's father Dipak was unhappy with the decision, and an argument broke out
which resulted in Anil filing for divorce.
The state government
of India's has called for an inquiry into the incident. The probe was ordered
after the New Delhi-based National Commission for Women (NCW) member Nirmala
Samant sent a letter, demanding details of the divorce and threatening action
against the parents of the girl and the boy.
She said: "This
is a scandal, we need more details before taking action. The girl's father must
answer why he married her off at four years old and the boy's father must
answer why he agreed to such a marriage and then went to demand the girl when
she is barely eight years old," adding that it was insensitive, controversial
and objectionable.
However Fatima's
father has already written to NCW, saying he should be pardoned because he
stopped his daughter from being taken away by her in-laws.
'I have already
admitted my mistake. Social pressures are high in our village. But the marriage
has been annulled. I have admitted it was wrong to marry her off so early,' he
said in a handwritten note.
He added: 'I now want
to make things right. I want to give my daughter a good childhood. I will do
everything to protect her.'
Meanwhile, the young
groom's father Mr Bakridi has gone into hiding following the altercation.
Source:
Dailymail
No comments:
Post a Comment