‘Youth Mela’ seeks raising marriageable age of girls

Students taking out a rally in support of women’s empowerment as part of the 'Youth Mela' in Tiruchi on Friday. Photo: A. Muralitharan

The minimum marriageable age for girls should be revised from 18 to 21 to empower women, said Suchitra Pandit, president of the Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI).

Presiding over the “youth mela” organised jointly by the Adolescent Committee of FOGSI, All-Tamil Federation of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ATFOG), and the Department of Women’s Studies of Bharathidasan University here on Friday, Dr. Pandit said that only at the age of 21 women could hope to become economically independent.

T. Ramanidevi, president of Tiruchi Obstetrics and Gynaecological Society; K. Meena, former Vice-Chancellor of Bharthidasan University; and N. Manimekalai, Director and Head of Department of Women’s Studies, spoke.

Earlier, students took out a procession from Salai Road and reached Indira Gandhi College for Women. They carried placards highlighting women’s rights.