NEW DELHI: Prem Saini is an unassuming girl, who's just done a mighty deed. At 16, Prem, who lives in the Dausa district of Rajasthan in western India, has refused to marry a suitor to whom she was pledged to when she was just 12-years-old. At 12, her parents had pledged her in marriage to a boy, in one of the many thousands child marriages which happen across India. Although illegal, some communities consider child marriages as a tradition handed down through generations. And Prem by her action on Friday put an end to the bizarre trend. “Marrying a child when she has no idea of what marriage means is unfair and illegal. I want to study further, do a law course and become a lawyer,” she told reporters, stressing that the ceremony that was held five years ago, has no legal standing and that “she is not anybody's wife”. Interestingly, the mature Prem has met the boy on several family dos and has no bitter feelings towards him. She says even though, she can be married at 18, she will consider marriage only once she has completed her law education, which she says will keep her busy for at least six years. After that she will decide who, when and whether to marry. The police have now issued directions to her parents to allow her to complete her studies in a free environment. “We have told her parents and her in-laws that she is still a minor and they should not try to get her married. We have also told them firmly that if they try to force anything on her it will be illegal,” a senior police official said. The girl comes from a farming family. It is not uncommon in rural India to get girls married when they are still teens and even below 18 years of age.
