Indian Muslim Women Against Polygamy, Triple Talaq and Child Marriage: Study

A large majortiy of the Indian Muslim married women wants reforms to the Muslim Personal Law, a recent survey has found according to a report.

The survey, conducted by Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), says that over 90 per cent of the respondents wanted the "triple talaq" divorce ritual and polygamy banned in the country, while 75 per cent supported a ban on child marriage, Thomson Reuters Foundation reported.

BMMA surveyed 4,710 Muslim married women across 10 Indian states as part of the study and the report was published on Friday.

"It (the study) suggests that Muslim women are aware of their legal rights and are determined to attain justice in family matters. An overwhelming number of women demand reforms in Muslim personal law as is prevalent in India today," Thomson Reuters Foundation cites the statement from the organisation.

"They want an elaborate codified law based on the Koranic justice framework to cover matters such as age of marriage, divorce procedures, polygamy, maintenance and custody of children," it adds.

Muslims, the largest minority in the country, have a low Human Development Index compared to other demographic groups. However, compared to Muslim men, the social condition of the women in the community is worse. Muslim women receive the least healthcare, education and employment in the country.

About 92 per cent women said a Muslim man should not be allowed to practise polygamy, while 88 per cent wanted the "triple talaq" system be replaced with "talaq-e-ahsan", a legal divorce method spread over a period of 90 days and involving negotiation.

Interstingly, the study also found out that some women were divorced orally while others through letters, phone calls or even SMSes.

"The study has brought out a major injustice faced by Indian Muslim women through decades in the form of oral unilateral divorce or triple talaq," the report added.