One for TT youth

On Wednesday, Newsday reported that the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) submitted a 32-page document to Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi detailing why any changes to the Hindu Marriage Act would be unconstitutional and discriminatory.

Citing the Indian history of mogul invasion and the resultant assaults on Hindu virgins on the Indian subcontinent, the SDMS vehemently defended its “non-negotiable, religious right.” The Hindu Women’s Organisation was not in agreement, but what is terrifying, however, is the report that the SDMS youth arm was in agreement with the statements.

Freedom of religion is indeed protected by our Constitution, but ideas like these force us all to assume that TT is not actually developing as a society and nation. Our rich histories often demand that we strike a balance between old and new ways, but should we, at the expense of international law and human rights, bring our entire nation into disrepute for the sake of traditions? In an ideal world, laws change whenever evidence or experience render them obsolete. Absolutism produces stagnation, because humans themselves are evolutionary beings. Imagine what the world would be like had the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights not forbidden slavery. What would we all be forced to endure if some humans were, constitutionally, made more equal than others.

While the SDMS chastises its critics and the Government for infringing on his alleged “rights”, who defends the young girls who are obligated to marry men two and three times their age for the sake of family honour? Where are their constitutional rights? This situation and others like it are indicative of the great differences between older and younger generations.

While the SDMS youths are allegedly in agreement with their elder counterparts, most other young people abhor such a law. It is primarily older men who want the law to remain unchanged.

This generational chasm unexpectedly extends to fields like theatre, where an up-and-coming director described the difficulties he continues to face in securing a place for himself locally, not because of a lack of talent, but because adamant administrators assigned themselves as curators of the craft, designating funds in a nepotistic manner, discriminating against youth.

As Newsday’s Youth Lens and Opinions (NYLO) project comes to a close, interns expressed their gratitude for having the opportunity to express their ideas and opinions, in spite of sometimes disagreeing with elders. It can only be credited to good fortune and open-mindedness of the veteran journalists and even the relatively unseasoned at Newsday who made it happen.

What cannot be decried is the suffering of all those young people, especially girls forced into child marriages, who are not afforded such an opportunity. They definitely outnumber the mere 23 who participated in the NYLO project.

Every day, in countries all over the world, young girls are married to grown men, who are supposed to protect and care for them. It is disappointing to see that behaviour, which is the source of unimaginable anguish internationally, be defended by people with power and influence in this beloved republic.

How long will we have to wait before TT catches up with the world? How long before we take responsibility for our own well-being instead of pointing fingers and clinging to old ideas that belong nowhere near a civilised society? Old habits die hard, but, thankfully, the majority of citizens agree on this issue. Perhaps we are developing after all.

* The above was compiled by the NYLO team