TENS of thousands of girls across Asia are being forced into marriage by desperate families plunged into poverty because of the coronavirus pandemic, as campaigners warn years of progress tackling the practice is being undone.
Child marriage has long been common in traditional communities from the Indonesian archipelago to India, Pakistan and Vietnam, but numbers had been decreasing as charities made inroads by encouraging access to education and women's health services.
These improvements are being eroded as the impact of the virus causes mass job losses leaving parents struggling to feed their families, experts say.
"All of the gains we've made in the past decade are really going to suffer," explains Shipra Jha, head of Asia engagement, at NGO Girls Not Brides.
"Child marriage is firmly rooted in gender inequality and patriarchal structures. What's happened is that it's become compounded in the Covid era," she adds.
Poverty, lack of education, and insecurity, drive child marriage even in stable times, so periods of crises exacerbate the problem, the charity says.
Worldwide, an estimated 12 million girls are wed every year before the age of 18, according to the UN.
But the organisation has now warned that unless urgent action is taken to tackle the economic and social impact of the virus -- an additional 13 million child marriages will take place in the next decade.
In Asia, charities report the snowball of forced unions has already begun, estimating tens of thousands are already affected -- though hard data is yet to be collated.
"There has been an increase in child marriages during this lockdown period. There is rampant unemployment, job loss. Families are barely able to make ends meet, so they think it's best to get their young daughters married off," says Rolee Singh who runs India's "1 Step 2 Stop Child Marriage" campaign.
Covid generation
Fifteen-year-old Muskaan says she is being forced to marry the 21-year-old boy next door by her mother and father, who are street cleaners in the Indian city of Varanasi and have six other children to feed.
"My parents are poor, what else could they have done? I fought as much as I could but eventually had to give in," the teenager explains in tears.
Save the Children has already warned that violence against girls and the risk of forced unions, particularly among minors, "could become more of a threat than the virus itself".
And while education has been hailed as the central tenet in the battle against child marriage, activists warn that with lockdowns forcing hundreds of millions out of school, girls in the poorest parts of the world will be worst affected.
Earlier this month, 275 former global leaders, education experts, and economists urged governments and organisations such as the World Bank to ensure the fallout from the coronavirus does not create a "Covid generation... robbed of their education and a fair chance in life."
"Many of these children are adolescent girls for whom being in school is the best defence against forced marriage and the best hope for a life of expanded opportunity," said an open letter signed by dignitaries including Ban Ki-Moon, previously UN Secretary General, UNICEF's Carol Bellamy, and former prime ministers such as Pakistan's Shaukat Aziz, and the UK's Gordon Brown and Tony Blair.
In India, activists say there's been a surge in forced unions because families see the practice as a solution to financial woes caused by Covid-19, without realising the repercussions for young women.
"We have also seen children get married because the other party offers money or some kind of assistance in return. These families don't understand the concept of trafficking -- it’s a worrisome trend," says activist Singh.
Baby boom
Jha, who is based in Delhi, agrees the economic pressure is part of the problem but insists child marriage is complex, particularly in Asia where there are fears that lockdown school closures mean idle teenagers will turn to each other and damage family reputations.
"The biggest fear that families have is that (teen girls) may become close to a boy, start exploring their sexuality, or become pregnant. Honour is closely linked to this situation...That's a huge thing," she adds.
She adds the problem has been aggravated as governments shift resources from key development areas such as education, family planning and reproductive health to battle the virus.
Indonesia's family planning agency has warned the nation, already home to 270 million people, could see a huge baby boom early next year due to school closures and dwindling access to contraception.
At 18, Lia is still underage but has already been married twice. Her first union was forced on her after she was seen alone with the man who was not a relative -- taboo in the conservative region of West Sulawesi in Indonesia where she lives.
The community insisted she wed the man despite a three-decade age gap.
She escaped that unhappy situation and found new love, but her dreams of a high-flying career have been put on hold once more.
With little access to family planning advice, she became pregnant during lockdown. Her family insisted she marry the 21-year-old father.
"I used to dream of becoming a flight attendant," recalls the teen, who asked that her real name not be used.
"But she failed and ended up in the kitchen," interrupts her new husband Randi, who has not declared their nuptials to authorities.
Shattered dreams
Indonesia, which has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world according to UNICEF, last year raised the legal age for wedlock from 16 to 19 for both sexes in a bid to tackle the problem.
But there are loopholes -- local religious courts can approve such unions.
Indonesia's Islamic authorities officially permitted more than 33,000 child marriages between January and June of this year, compared to a total of 22,000 for the whole of 2019, according to the Women's Empowerment and Child Protection ministry.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also said the country will raise its marriage age -- up from 18 to 21, but Girls, Not Brides says such moves are tough to enforce and do not address the root causes.
In Vietnam, the legal age to wed is 18, but UNICEF says one in ten girls are married before. Amongst ethnic groups the figure is almost double that.
Local charity Blue Dragon say they have seen girls as young as 14 get married and child unions increase since schools closed due to the pandemic.
May, 15, who is from the northern Hmong hill tribes, married her 25-year-old construction worker boyfriend in June after getting pregnant as the virus swept the country.
Her parents could not afford to keep her and the baby, so she moved six hours away to her husband's family farm.
"They're farmers and they could not earn enough for us," she explains.
Now, instead of homework, she does housework and helps harvest the crops.
"I don't think much about my future," she admits.
UNICEF says ending child marriage will help break intergenerational cycles of poverty.
It states: "Empowered and educated girls are better able to nourish and care for their children, leading to healthier, smaller families. When girls are allowed to be girls, everybody wins."
VEERASWAMY, the UK's oldest Indian restaurant, is locked in a legal battle with the Crown Estate, which is seeking to evict it from its home at Victory House on Regent Street, where it has operated since 1926.
The Crown Estate wants to take back the building to renovate the upper-floor offices, which have remained empty since a flood in late 2023.
According to The Times, the plans include removing the wall that separates the restaurant’s entrance from the office entrance to create a larger reception area. The restaurant’s co-owner, Ranjit Mathrani of MW Eat, has said this would block access to Veeraswamy, effectively shutting it down.
Mathrani told The Times he had proposed several alternatives, such as sharing the entrance or giving up the first floor and retaining only the basement and mezzanine levels, but none had been accepted. “My dealings with the [Crown Estate] have been characterised by an uncompromising refusal to consider any change to their design plan,” he said in a court filing.
Veeraswamy pays around £205,000 in annual rent, and Mathrani has said he is willing to match the rent paid by future office tenants after renovation. Though initially open to relocating, he said the Crown Estate's claim of helping find a new site was “disingenuous”. “They’ve made no real attempt to find alternative sites for us,” he told The Times.
Veeraswamy’s lease expires at the end of June. However, MW Eat can continue to trade until the court hearing, expected in spring or early summer next year. If the court rules in its favour, the restaurant’s protected tenancy could allow a 14-year extension. If not, Mathrani hopes for a two-year lease to allow time for relocation. “If we lost, that would be our fallback, but moving sites will cost us about £5 million and therefore it is not our preferred option,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Crown Estate said: “We need to carry out a comprehensive refurbishment of Victory House to bring the building back into full use. We appreciate how upsetting this is for Veeraswamy and have offered to help find new premises elsewhere on our portfolio, having explored other options to accommodate the restaurant’s needs. We thank Veeraswamy and their customers for their contributions to the West End.”
Nearly a century on Regent Street
Veeraswamy was opened in 1926 by Edward Palmer, an Anglo-Indian and retired British Indian Army officer.
Located at 99-101 Regent Street, the restaurant has served regional Indian cuisine for decades, with dishes from Punjab, Lucknow, Kashmir and Goa.
It has long attracted royalty, political leaders and celebrities. Past diners include Winston Churchill, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Charlie Chaplin, and King Gustav VI of Sweden.
Ownership and Michelin recognition
In 1997, the restaurant was acquired by Ranjit Mathrani and Namitha Panjabi. They restored its interiors and integrated it into their MW Eat group.
In 2016, Veeraswamy received a Michelin star. Inspectors noted that it continued to serve “classic dishes from across the country” with care and professionalism.
Historical roots
Before opening Veeraswamy, Edward Palmer had started EP Veeraswamy & Co. in 1896 to promote Indian food in Britain.
In 1924, he advised the Indian Government Pavilion restaurant at the British Empire Exhibition, which served around 500 curries a day.
Veeraswamy was not the first Indian restaurant in the UK, but it was among the first high-end ones and has remained at its Regent Street location for 99 years.
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The airline said the aircraft landed safely and was being inspected 'as a matter of abundant precaution'.
AN AIR INDIA Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner flying from Hong Kong to New Delhi returned to Hong Kong shortly after takeoff on Monday due to a suspected technical issue.
This incident comes days after an Air India flight to London, also a Boeing 787-8, crashed in Ahmedabad just after takeoff, killing 241 of the 242 people on board.
Air India said in a statement on Monday that flight AI315 returned to Hong Kong due to "a technical issue", but did not provide further details.
The airline said the aircraft landed safely and was being inspected "as a matter of abundant precaution".
Recordings on the air traffic control website LiveATC.net, reviewed by Reuters, captured a pilot telling air traffic controllers about 15 minutes after takeoff, “for technical reasons, sir, we would like to stay closer to Hong Kong, maybe we will come back and land back into Hong Kong once we sort out the problem.” “We don’t want to continue further,” the pilot added before the plane returned.
The aircraft returned to Hong Kong International Airport after requesting a local standby at around 1 p.m. (0500 GMT) and “landed safely at around 1:15 p.m.”, according to a spokesperson for Airport Authority Hong Kong.
The spokesperson said airport operations were not affected.
Flight tracking website AirNav Radar showed that flight AI315 took off from Hong Kong around 12:20 p.m., climbed to 22,000 feet and then began to descend. The plane was seven years old.
Boeing and Air India did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Hong Kong–New Delhi flight.
Last week’s crash has added to the challenges facing Air India, which has been working to revamp its fleet, and Boeing, which has been trying to regain public trust after a series of safety and production issues.
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Starmer said earlier on Sunday that he had dropped his initial opposition to a national inquiry in favour of one being led by Louise Casey, a member of the parliament’s upper house. (Photo: Getty Images)
AUTHORITIES have announced a nationwide police operation targeting grooming gangs suspected of sexually exploiting thousands of girls and young women over several decades.
The announcement came hours after prime minister Keir Starmer said a national inquiry would be launched into the scandal, which recently drew attention from Elon Musk.
“The National Crime Agency, the UK’s most senior investigating agency, will carry out a nationwide operation to target predators who have sexually exploited children as part of a gang and put them behind bars,” the Home Office said in a statement.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper said more than 800 grooming gang cases had already been identified by police.
The Home Office said the crackdown aims to deliver “long-awaited justice and prevent more children from being hurt by these vile criminals”.
Starmer said earlier on Sunday that he had dropped his initial opposition to a national inquiry in favour of one being led by Louise Casey, a member of the parliament’s upper house.
The scandal became widely known as official reports revealed long-term sexual exploitation in multiple parts of England.
Men, often of Pakistani origin, were found to have targeted mostly white girls from disadvantaged backgrounds, including some in children’s homes.
The gangs were active in towns and cities including Rotherham and Rochdale in the north, as well as Oxford and Bristol, over nearly four decades.
The issue gained international attention in January after Musk used his X platform to criticise the UK government for not backing a national inquiry.
According to the Home Office, the new police operation will investigate cases that had not previously progressed.
It will also examine how local agencies failed the victims and aim to improve how local police handle such allegations. The Home Office said the operation would help end the “culture of denial” within local services and authorities regarding the scale of the crime.
(With inputs from agencies)
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The airline did not provide details on the departure time, number of passengers or crew on board, or how long the flight was in the air before returning. (Representational image: Getty Images)
A BRITISH AIRWAYS flight bound for Chennai returned to London mid-air on Sunday after reporting a technical issue.
The airline said the aircraft landed safely and passengers and crew disembarked normally. “The aircraft returned to Heathrow as a standard precaution after reports of a technical issue,” British Airways said in a statement.
The airline did not provide details on the departure time, number of passengers or crew on board, or how long the flight was in the air before returning.
Live flight tracking data from Flightradar24.com showed that British Airways flight BA35 was scheduled to depart at 12.40 pm and arrive in Chennai at 3.30 am. The Boeing 787-8 aircraft departed from London Heathrow at 1.16 pm, following a delay of more than 35 minutes.
According to the website, the flight remained airborne for nearly two hours before returning to London. It also flew in multiple holding patterns before landing at Heathrow.
“Our teams are working hard to get their journeys back on track as soon as possible,” British Airways added.
Meanwhile, a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Hyderabad also turned back mid-air on Sunday, Flightradar24.com showed. The reason for the diversion was not known.
Flight LH752, operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, departed from Frankfurt at 14.29 instead of its scheduled departure time of 13.05 pm. The flight was due to arrive in Hyderabad at 1.20 am, according to the website.
In the wake of the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, London came together in an emotional outpouring of grief and unity at the Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow. Over two solemn days, the revered spiritual haven hosted a series of powerful ceremonies led by His Holiness Rajrajeshwar Guruji, drawing together faith leaders, public figures, and residents from across communities.
On the day of the tragedy, Guruji led a spiritually charged recitation of the Hanuman Chalisa 12 times, joined by a team of spiritual practitioners from India. The prayer created a deep atmosphere of collective mourning and healing.
“Prayer is our greatest strength in the face of such loss,” Guruji said. “We do not grieve as Hindus, Muslims, or Christians — we grieve as one humanity.”
The prayer service was attended by several distinguished figures, including Gareth Thomas MP, Minister for Services, Small Businesses and Exports.
Two days later, on June 14, Siddhashram partnered with the Harrow Interfaith Forum to host a candlelight vigil — a remarkable expression of unity, attended by representatives of Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Jain, Jewish, and Zoroastrian communities. Children from the temple led the lighting of candles, setting the tone for an evening of shared sorrow, solidarity, and prayer.
Key dignitaries included:
Simon Ovens DL, Representative of His Majesty King Charles III, who read a message of royal condolence and described the gathering as a reflection of “true British compassion.”
Cllr Anjana Patel, Worshipful Mayor of Harrow, who spoke with visible emotion as a member of the grieving Gujarati community.
Bob Blackman CBE, MP for Harrow East, offered messages of comfort and pledged support for those affected.
Kareema Marikar, former Harrow Mayor, recited a heartfelt Muslim prayer.
Mahavir Foundation’s Nita Sheth and Mukesh Kapashi, who led Jain prayers.
Bobbi Reisel, Jewish representative from Bereavement Care Harrow, who offered messages of solace.
Dorab Mistry, representing the Zoroastrian community, and
Gopal Singh Bhachu, Chair of Harrow Interfaith Forum, who led Sikh prayers with fellow community leaders.
PC Elaine Jackson, Met Police Faith Officer, attended in support of the event’s interfaith spirit.
Attendees travelled from across the UK, including Leicester, to be present. Musicians lifted spirits through devotional melodies, and volunteers ensured all were cared for on a sweltering summer day.
The Siddhashram Shakti Centre, long a sanctuary for spiritual guidance and community healing, once again stood at the heart of London’s collective conscience. As Guruji reflected, “In our unity, we find peace, in prayer, we carry the light of those we lost.”