Delhi Crime Series Highlights Missing Women Issues

The Netflix series Delhi Crime highlights the issue of missing women who have been trafficked.

However, many women who are classified as missing have actually eloped to marry partners of their choice.

Official data does not distinguish between women who have been abducted and those who have eloped.

Families often register missing person complaints and lodge FIRs of kidnapping against the men.

Women who elope for inter-caste marriages face social and familial backlash.

The state sometimes treats these women as victims who need protection, even though they are making autonomous choices.

The Supreme Court has reaffirmed the right of adults to marry partners of their choice, but exercising this right can be difficult.

Anti-conversion laws in some states add another layer of complexity, treating women as gullible individuals who have been duped.

The author argues that official data should clearly distinguish between abducted women and those who have made marriages of choice to protect consensual marriages.