Letters to THE EDITOR: Assam battling the harsh realities of abuse

Assam battling the harsh realities of abuse

Davinder Kaur very rightly wrote in her book that culture is no excuse for abuse. Unfortunately, this excuse takes away the dreams, aspirations, and, most importantly, untapped potential of roughly 1.5 million girls every year in India. Yes, I am talking about the infamous social evil of child marriage, which drapes itself very meticulously in so-called culture and is perpetuated by poverty and a lack of choices. And if you ask what all this translates into, the answer is very simple: abuse.

A union where either the woman is below the age of 18 or the man is below the age of 21 is considered a child marriage according to the Child Marriage Act of 2006. Despite the prohibition of such unions, they are pervasive in the country.

As many as 32 per cent of women in the age group of 20–24 years in Assam are married before age 18, according to the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019–21). Also, 12 percent of women in the 15–19 age group in the state were either mothers or pregnant. More than 3000 people were arrested in Assam in relation to child marriage. This resulted in a media uproar and, of course, garnered polarizing views. The criminalization and penalization of the same came in the wake of the Assam Cabinet’s decision to book men who marry girls aged below 14 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO) and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 (PCMA).

Now, keeping aside the political interests, if we look at it linearly and tally it with the grim realities and the abuse these underage women face, the Assam Cabinet’s decision is progressive and highly commendable. But in reality, this “crackdown” has led these women to be victims of social and political abuse as they have been pushed to face even more social challenges. Young women living in despair, teenage wives avoiding hospitals and turning to home births and abortion pills, fearing to be outed as child brides—these are some of the instances the intervention has left in its wake. Although it is a step in the right direction, it still does not feel like a win. Maybe because at its core, the intervention was more focused and got carried away to combat the “excuse” and not what it was cloaking.

Yahana Yesmin,

Cotton University

Ocean warming is an alarming warning

Scientists are concerned that the recent rapid warming of the world’s oceans will contribute to global warming. This summer, the global ocean surface temperature reached a new high. It has never warmed up this quickly. Scientists are baffled as to why this has occurred. However, they are concerned that, when combined with other weather events, the global temperature could reach a concerning new level by the end of next year, according to scientists.

Warmer oceans can kill off marine life, lead to more extreme weather, and raise sea levels. According to a study, the Earth has accumulated nearly as much heat in the last 10 years as it did in the previous 40 years, with the majority of the extra energy going into the oceans. One factor that may be influencing the amount of heat entering the oceans is a reduction in pollution from shipping. The International Maritime Organization implemented a regulation in 2022 to reduce the sulphur content of ship fuel. This had an immediate impact, lowering the amount of aerosol particles released into the atmosphere. However, aerosols that pollute the air also help to reflect heat back into space, so removing them may have resulted in more heat entering the waters. Warmer oceans can kill off marine life, lead to more extreme weather and raise sea levels.

Dr.Vijaykumar H K,

hkvkmech1@gmail.com

Water census

In India, water bodies like lakes, ponds, and tanks in cities and towns constitute a meagre three percent of all water bodies. Many water bodies have dried up even in rural India due to factors like siltation and drying, though encroachments on water bodies are more common in urban areas. Massive urbanization has resulted in untreated sewage, solid waste, and industrial emissions polluting all types of water bodies to a considerable extent. Water should be utilised prudently and through scientific methods. Lakes, man-made and artificial, as well as dams, have helped, but other ways to keep water clean by taking care of siltation, too, yield good results. There is also concern about depleting groundwater due to the cultivation of agricultural crops.

The Jal Shakti ministry of the government has done a survey that has helped better understand keeping water clean and potable while preventing it from being destroyed. It has enumerated a thorough database of more than 2.4 million water bodies in the country. Keeping in mind the socioeconomic and ecological importance of water bodies, the ministry’s exhaustive study is indeed laudable. Since the ownership of the water bodies is studied along with their size, purpose, status, and condition, this will act as a model for further analysis. Along with the “Jal Jan Abhiyan”, put in place by the prime minister last month, the census should act as a game changer with regards to water conservation in India.

Dr. Ganapathi Bhat,

gbhat13@gmail.com