Barbers to stop child marriage

In an effort to curb child marriage, the West Bengal government is roping in barbers, priests, decorators and others, who can report to local authorities if an underage bride or groom is forced into marriage. Typically, a Bengali marriage is not complete without a barber, who is required to dress the groom; a priest, who officiates the marriage; and decorators, who make arrangements for the ceremony. State officials believe these professionals, sine qua non in a Bengali wedding, will have requisite information, including the age of the bride and groom. In the last two months, the state administration was able to stop 30 such marriages but is of the view that many go unreported.