Bien que totalement illégaux, en Inde comme ailleurs, les mariages d’enfants restent monnaie courante chez certaines communautés tribales ou de basses castes. Dans le Chattisgarh, état situé dans l’est du pays, 3 000 mariages d’enfants sont célébrés sous les auspices du dieu Rama pendant le festival de Ramnavmi, une des trois périodes du calendrier hindou jugée propices pour les mariages.
AN AGES-OLD, YET ILLEGAL TRADITION ENDURES
Although they are as illegal in India as in the rest of the world, cchild marriages
are still commonplace amongst certain tribal or low caste communities. In
Chattisgarh, a state located in the eastern part of the country, 3,500 child
marriages were celebrated on the occasion of the Hindu feast “Ramnavmi”,
which commemorates the birth of the god Rama.
March/April 2004, India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Young bride and groom on their wedding day.03/31/2004, India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Portrait of a young bride.March/April 2004, India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Village of Kappa, 9 year old bride Umind Bai and groom Durgesh, 13, during the wedding ceremony.
TLalita, 7, Sarita, 9 and Kuleshmar, 12, are about to wed boys hardly older than they are, of whom they know nothing, not even their names. The first day is dedicated to prayers and offerings to protective gods. The day after, the brides and grooms to be are smeared with a mix of mashed seeds and purified water. Only on the third day do the children, wearing embroidered costumes and jewels are brought together for the wedding itself. It is a short-lived union, as the day after the wedding, the girls go back to live with their families until they reach puberty.
March/April 2004, India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Village of Kappa, 9 year old bride Umind Bai and groom Durgesh, 13, during the wedding ceremony.March/April 2004, India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Village of Kappa, 9 year old bride Sarita, posing with her family during the performance of symbolic rituals on the day before the wedding ceremony.March/April 2004, India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Village of Kappa, 9 year old bride Sarita, during the performance of symbolic rituals on the day before the wedding ceremony..March/April 2004, India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Village of Kappa, 9 year old bride Sarita, during the performance of symbolic rituals on the day before the wedding ceremony.March/April 2004, India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Village of Kappa, 9 year old bride Sarita just before her wedding.March/April 2004, India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Musicians performing for a wedding.March/April 2004, India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Village de Kappa. Portrait of 12 year old groom Sanjai.March/April 2004, India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Village of Bairkachhara. Earth symbolizing fertility is being carried back home by villagers to perform wedding rituals.03/31/2004 India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Village of Bairkachhara. Portrait of Ranidakra, a shaman who performs wedding rituals.March/April 2004, India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Village of Kappa, portrait of a mother during the wedding of her son.03/31/2004 India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Wedding meal.03/31/2004 India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Portrait of a villager.March/April 2004, India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Village of Khairbana: 16 year old groom Nainsing Sarju and his bride Shreemati, 13, during the wedding ceremony.March/April 2004, India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Village of Amlitala, 10 year old groom Shivkumar is smeared with a mix of mashed seeds and purified water, a wedding ritual performed by his family on the eve of the actual wedding.March/April 2004, India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Village of Amlitala: a villager prepares a mix of smashed seeds and purified water to cover the bride and groom’s bodies, a ritual performed on the day before the actual wedding.March/April 2004, India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Village of Bairkachhara, 15 year old groom Ganesh is smeared with a mix of mashed seeds and purified water during the performance of a wedding ritual on the eve of the actual ceremony.March/April 2004, India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Village of Bairkachhara, 15 year old groom Ganesh is smeared with a mix of mashed seeds and purified water during the performance of a wedding ritual on the eve of the actual wedding.March/April 2004, India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Village of Bairkachhara. A villager carries a megaphone to be used for wedding celebrations.March/April 2004, India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Village of Kusumghata, Subash Mohapatra, Director of FFDA ( Forum for Fact-finding Documentation & Advocacy), a local NGO fighting against human rights violations, urges local authorities to interfere to stop an ongoing child marriage.March/April 2004, India. Over 3,500 child marriages have been celebrated in the state of Chattisgarh during the Ramnavmi festival. Village of Kusumghata, Subash Mohapatra, Director of FFDA ( Forum for Fact-finding Documentation & Advocacy), a local NGO fighting against human rights violations, urges policemen to interfere to stop an ongoing child marriage.
