In India, where traditionally boys have been preferred over girls, a village in backward Bihar state has been setting an example by planting trees to celebrate the birth of a girl child. In Dharhara village, Bhagalpur district, families plant a minimum of 10 trees whenever a girl child is born. And this practice is paying off. Nikah Kumari, 19, is all set to get married in early June. The would-be...
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Medieval justice: Kangaroo courts call the shots in TN by Padmini Sivarajah
In several hamlets in the caste sensitive pockets of south Tamil Nadu, the law of the land has ceased to exist. Here, it is the ‘kattapanchayat’ or kangaroo courts that rule. A few months ago, Nagaraj, a dalit from Vedasandur in Dindigul district, married a non-dalit girl, Sumathi. Fear of reprisal prompted them to flee the village. They returned a month later hoping that their parents would accept them. But...
More »SC refuses PIL seeking ban on same-gotra marriage by Dhananjay Mahapatra
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a PIL seeking an amendment in the Hindu marriage Act to ban marriages within the same gotra (sub caste). The apex court asked the petitioner to approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court for the same. Demanding amendment in the Hindu marriage Act to prevent weddings within the same 'gotra' (sub caste), a delegation of Khap panchayats had met Haryana CM Bhupinder...
More »‘Right to Education Act a potent tool to curb child labour'
Education for all, concerted efforts to reduce poverty, enhancement of social protection and political commitment have been identified as some of the measures to tackle child labour. On the occasion of World Day Against Child Labour on Saturday, several agencies including the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), International Labour Organisation, UNICEF, UNESCO and the corporate sector hailed the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE)...
More »India moves to make it easier for couples to divorce
The Indian government has proposed a new law which will make it easier for couples to get divorced. It has ordered that the country's Hindu marriage act should be altered to allow irretrievable breakdown of marriage as grounds for divorce. Up until now, a divorce would in most cases be granted by the courts only if there were mutual consent. Correspondents say that marriage breakdowns are becoming more common and...
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