Twitter Hashtag Marriagestrike Is Trending, What Is It about?

 Twitter hashtag marriagestrike is trending and according to some users, is the only way to safeguard men's human rights in India. But, what exactly is a Marriage Strike? The term "marriage strike" refers to a movement among a group of young men who do not want to marry because they are afraid of financial devastation through divorce and false cases.

The marriage strike trend is fueled by the perception of a group of men that marriage is a financial disaster particularly during divorce settlements.

In light of the continuing debate in the country about criminalising marital rape, the Centre has told the Delhi High Court that it requires "fair time" to determine its position on criminalising marital rape. While hearing a batch of petitions challenging the provision in the law that makes an exception for marital rape, the bench of Justice Rajiv Shakdher and Justice C. Hari Shankar stated that the Centre must say "yes or no." There was unanimous agreement among speakers in a National Commission for Women consultation on criminal code revisions that marital rape should be criminalised. The panel also reviewed the rise in female-targeted cybercrime and the necessity for gender-neutral rape legislation.

In a report released in 2014, the Delhi Commission for Women stated that 53.2 percent of rape cases reported between April 2013 and July 2014 were fake. Since the new rape law modification in 2013, the threat of false rape accusations on various pretexts has grown in India. The analysis of court judgements and media reporting by fast track courts established across the country, including in Delhi, demonstrates this fact. Currently, while rape is in an offence in India marital rape is not.

The NCW is likely to hold another round of discussions on this topic before sending its recommendations to the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is reviewing criminal law, including the Indian Penal Code, 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.

The trend comes at the same time when the Delhi High Court is hearing various petitions to make marital rape a crime, and the government has requested additional time to convey its position, claiming that the topic requires "wider consultation" and "a broader hearing of all stakeholders".

On Twitter, the hashtag #MarriageStrike is trending as people reject the outlawing of marital rape in India, you can check out some of the tweets on marital rape here.

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According to the National Crime Records Bureau, there were 38,947 rape cases filed in India in 2010. Women alleged rape on the false promise of marriage in 10,068 cases (almost a quarter). False rape accusations are frequently the result of parents concealing the "shame" of having sex with an unmarried daughter.