Her husband tried to sell her for Rs.25,000

KOLKATA - The evils of child marriage not only shattered the promising career of 17-year-old Amina Khatun but also took an ugly turn when her husband tried to sell her off for Rs.25,000.

Amina, a resident of Mograhat in West Bengal’s South 24-Parganas district, was married off to Riyaz Lashkar against her wishes, while she was studying in Class 7. She was not only a brilliant student, but also a class topper.

“Three years back, I was married at the age of 14. I was willing to continue my education but my parents were adamant that I get married,” said Amina.

It all started when Riyaz and his parents came to see Amina’s elder sister for marriage but instead chose Amina, the second among four sisters and one brother.

Just after three days of marriage, Riyaz tried to sell her to his drunk friends for Rs.25,000. When Amina refused to submit to their desires, Riyaz and his friends beat her black and blue.

The locals came to Amina’s rescue and sent her back to the safe custody of her parents. Later, her husband divorced her and married again.

“Had the locals not come forward, I don’t know what would have happened to me,” said Amina.

Amina, with the help of NGO Nishtha, has started her life afresh by pursuing her studies and learning embroidery.

“After I came back, the officials of Nishtha came to me. They encouraged me to pursue my studies and also provided vocational training. Next year, I will sit for my Madhyamik (secondary) exam,” said a smiling Amina.

Nishtha is implementing project Adarani to stop child marriage and other discriminating practices against adolescent girls in Magarhat II block of South 24-Paraganas.

“This is not the only case, there are many other cases of child marriage in this block,” said Mina Das, secretary of Nishtha.