EP 192 - The DARK REALITY of Hyderabad's 'Child Bride' Racket with Activist Jameela Nishat

ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash

In the old city of Hyderabad, child marriages remain a significant challenge even in the 21st century. What's even more shocking is the practice of multiple marriages of these girls in exchange for money, with a majority belonging to the Muslim community.

Hyderabad-based poet and activist Jameela Nishat is the founder of the 'Shaheen Women's Resource & Welfare Association,' which aims to assist girls trapped in these customs and help them rebuild their lives.

In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Jameela Nishat delves deeper into this issue and exposes an alleged 'child bride' racket running in Hyderabad. She reveals how young girls are married off to much older men using fake marriage certificates for short periods, only to be remarried to other older men later on.

Additionally, she discusses how these girls often become victims of trafficking, predominantly to Gulf countries. Jameela also talks about the reasons why families choose to marry minor girls to sheikhs for the sake of money. She categorizes these marriages as fake, emphasizing the complicity of "qazis" who perform such marriages in violation of all rules. Jameela also explains the role of agents in this racket.

(0:00) Introduction

(1:40) Hyderabad's Child Marriages

(6:03) Illegal Marriage Process

(8:19) Taking Women to Gulf Nations

(9:32) WhatsApp Marriages

(10:32) Ameena Case

(11:26) Young Girls Being Sold

(13:58) Shaheen Women's Resource & Welfare Association

(14:20) Domestic Violence

(15:06) Triple Talaq & Polygamy

(16:41) Attack on Jameela Nishat

(19:09) Abandoned Muslim Women

(21:08) Migration of Young Girls

(23:47) Education is the Solution

(24:47) Fatwa

(26:54) Awareness & Poetry