Mother sells minor daughter for Rs 1 lakh, Bachpan Bachao Andolan comes to child’s rescue

New Delhi (26/06/2023): A 40-year-old mother was arrested for selling off her 14-year-old daughter for marriage to a 31-year-old man in Madhepur, Bihar for a sum of one lakh rupees. The child marriage was stopped after Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), founded by Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, along with NGO Sarvo Prayas Sansthan informed the police about the same.  Five other people, including the priest who was conducting the marriage, the groom, his father, a relative and a middleman, were arrested from the temple where the marriage was taking place.

All the six accused have been booked under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 and an FIR has been registered in the Madhepur police station in Madhubani district.

As per locals, the girl’s mother, Sangeeta Devi, who was estranged from her husband, had allegedly married off other girls in the district in return for money.

Given her past, the news of her minor daughter getting married led to suspicion. Thereafter, the child helpline received a call on the day of the marriage which led to the stalling of the marriage.

According to the FIR, the 31-year-old man, who appeared much older in person, is a resident of Sagar, Madhya Pradesh. The groom’s family had allegedly given Rs. one lakh to the mother for this marriage.

However, the fact that a mother herself was selling off her daughter comes as a shock. When asked, the girl, who seemed to have completely trusted her mother, said that the groom’s family had a lot of money, and she would have had a comfortable life after marriage.

Meanwhile, girl’s father, who was not part of the ceremony, claimed ignorance about it but also refused to take any responsibility of the child.

The girl was produced in front of the Child Welfare Committee after which she has been safely sent to a childcare home.

“Child marriages still prevail in the deepest corners of our society. The struggle is daunting but the fact that many people, both from the position of authority as well as the common mass, are becoming aware and actively working against its prevalence means that we are working in the right direction. We need everyone’s support and active participation to make India child marriage free by 2030,” Dhananjay Tingal, Executive Director, BBA, said.