Context: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued notices to the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development and the States of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat over a practice known as ‘Nata Pratha’.
About Nata Pratha:
- It is a centuries-old social practice, where girls are sold by their family members under the guise of marriage in parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat.
- It is usually practiced by the Bhil tribe, the one of the largest tribes in South Asia.
- It is a practice in which two persons can enter into a relationship similar to marriage without any legal and religious/social obligation by getting a divorce from existing marriage or otherwise.
- The practice involves monetary dealing in which a bride price is usually paid to the woman or her parents or previous husband by the new groom.
- This involves selling “on a stamp paper” or marrying off underage girls from some communities. These “sales and marriages” are usually conducted by their own families.
- In this custom woman typically goes to live with the man, leaving behind the children from her previous marriage. The custom allows men to live with as many women resulting in children being abandoned by their parents.
- Traditionally, both the man and the woman are supposed to be married or widowed, but the custom has evolved to include single people as well.