Child marriage: the Indian minotaur
Eleanor F. Rathbone

An object-lesson from the past to the future.

The book examines the custom of marrying young children in India and the heavy harm it caused to young girls.

The issued Indian Census Report for 1931 contains many disquieting revelations, but none more so than the huge increase in child marriage and the continuing enormous mortality of women due to premature maternity, bad midwifery, purdah and kindred social evils. The first part of this book exposes the futility of the steps hitherto taken to cope with child marriage. The second part discusses remedies. Wider voting rights and a larger share in administration are claimed for women, and women themselves are urged to take up the Government’s challenge, “Educate public opinion,” by organising an extensive campaign of propaganda and resistance to those who break the law prohibiting child marriage. The book has a direct bearing on the problem of India’s future Constitution and contains new material concerning other problems besides that of child marriage.