Child marriages: Students send 100,000 protest letters to Indian president
A filepic of an Indian groom putting vermilion on the forehead of his underage. -- AFP photo
School students in south Indian state of Kerala have sent about 100,000 letters to President Pranab Mukherjee to demand strong legislation to prevent child marriages in the country.
The letters written by girls studying in various schools across the state were sent to Mukherjee on Thursday during National Childrens' Day under the aegis of women rights organisation Vanitha Kala Sahithi.
Press Trust of India (PTI) reports in the letters, the girls voiced their concern over attempts from some sections of society to deny them the right to education.
They are also seeking the immediate intervention of the president to prevent any bid to reduce a girl's marriageable age to 16.
Members of Sahithi said the state-wide inauguration of the campaign was conducted here by noted scholar Puthusserry Ramachandran.
Well-known personalities from different walks of life also launched the programme in various districts.
The organisation plans to send more letters to the president in the coming days to push for the implementation of their demands.
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