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SOCIAL LAW CONCERNING WOMEN
Abolition of sati
- The practice was prevailed in almost all part of India especially among “Rajputs”.
- At just it was voluntary later it became forced act.
- So he passed Sati Prohibition Act in 1829 on Dec 4 with the help of Raja Rammohan Roy.
- According to this act if anyone who forced women to perform Sati would be given capital punishment.
- In 1830 the Act was extended to Bombay & Madras presidency.
Female Infanticide
- Colonel Todd, Johnson Duncan and Malcolm had discussed about this custom and found family pride, Dowry system and finding suitable match are major factors for this barbarous culture.
- Some Laws enacted against this practice in 1795, 1802, 1804 & 1870.
Widow Remarriage
- During 19th century the number of widows increasing due to war and famine.
- So social reformers were make sincere efforts to popularize widow remarriage by writing in Newspapers.
- Prominent Leaders like Raja Ram Mohan Roy & Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar work for the promotion of Widow Remarriage.
- In July 1856 P. Grant the then member of Governor General’s council tabled a bill in support of Widow Remarriage.
- On 13 July, 1856 Widow Remarriage Act
Child Marriage
- In 1870 Indian Reform Association under Keshab Chandra Sen advocated for abolition of Child Marriage.
- Journal “Mahapap Bal Vivah” (Child Marriage the Cardinal sin) was published by M.Malabari for against child marriage.
- In 1846 minimum marriageable age was fixed for 10 years.
- In 1891 Age of consent Act was passed and it fixed 12 years as minimum age for marriage.
- Sharda Act 1929 increased the marriageable age as 14 years for Women and 18 years for Men.
- In 1978 the Independent Indian government increased the marriage age for women as 18 years and for men as 21 years.
- Recently Indian Government introduced Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which seeks to rise the age of legal marriage for women from 18 to 21.
Purdah System
- In 19th and 20th century the voices raised against this system
- This system is not much prevalent in South India but mostly Northern region and more prevalent in Rajasthan and Gujarat regions among Hindu women.
- Through large scale participation of women in National Freedom movements the purdah system slowly disappeared without legislation.