Until 2019, life for Priya (name changed), a 14-year-old girl living with her parents and an elder brother at Jal Vihar in South Delhi was no different to that of any 14-year-old belonging to low-income family. She was studying in the ninth grade in a nearby government-run school, while her parents struggled to eke out a living for themselves and their two children. Her father cleaned cars in the neighbourhood, while her mother worked as a domestic help.

Priya’s life took a turn for the worse later in the same year when she failed in her exams and her parents forced her to drop out of the school. Priya’s troubles kept on mounting since then and the following year, as the coronavirus raged havoc across the globe and in India, Priya says her parents began pressuring her to get married and after resisting for several months, Priya finally succumbed to the parental pressure earlier this year.

Child marriage rose 50 pc during pandemic: NCRB – Media India Group