Shari'ar Eliza Armstrong

**Shari'ar Eliza Armstrong** babbar abin kunya ce a Burtaniya da ta shafi yaro da aka saya don karuwanci don manufar fallasa mugunta na bautar jima'i. Duk da yake ya cimma burinsa na taimakawa wajen ba da damar aiwatar da Dokar Kwaskwarimar Shari'a ta 1885, ya kuma kawo sakamako mara kyau ga W. T. Stead.

## Tarihi
Tun daga tsakiyar karni na 19, kokarin da kungiyar Social Purity, karkashin jagorancin mata na farko kamar Josephine Butler da sauransu, sun nemi inganta yadda ake kula da mata da yara a cikin Al'ummar Victoria. Wannan motsi ya sami nasara lokacin da aka soke Ayyukan Cututtukan Cututtuka a ƙarƙashin matsin lamba saboda yanayin su biyu da rashin tasiri.

A lokaci guda, kamfen ɗin ya juya zuwa ga matsalar karuwanci, da zalunci na maza ga mata. A ƙarshen shekarun 1870, wannan ya zama mai da hankali musamman kan tsoron cewa ana jan mata na Burtaniya (mata da yara) - ko kuma sace su - zuwa gidajen karuwai a Nahiyar, musamman tunda wannan yana faruwa ga yara da mata ba tare da yardarsu ba. Kodayake an ɗaga shekarun yarda zuwa 13 lokacin da aka yi gyare-gyare ga Laifukan da aka yi wa Dokar Mutum ta 1861 a cikin 1875, ƙungiyar ta nemi ƙara haɓaka wannan zuwa akalla 16, amma Majalisar ta ƙi yin wannan canjin.

Koyaya, an gabatar da Dokar Kwaskwarimar Shari'a don canza wannan a cikin 1881. Duk da yake ya wuce House of Lords cikin sauƙi a 1883 bayan binciken kwamitin zaɓaɓɓen shekaru biyu, ya tsaya sau biyu a cikin House of Commons. Sa'an nan a cikin 1885, an sake gabatar da shi a karo na uku, amma kuma an yi barazanar warewa a ƙarshe saboda rikicin siyasa da babban zaben da ke zuwa a wannan shekarar.

## W. T. Stead

Majalisar ta yi murabus don hutun banki na Whit Week a ranar 22 ga Mayu, kuma washegari Benjamin Scott, mai fafutukar adawa da mataimakin mataimakin kuma Chamberlain na Birnin London, ya tafi ganin W. T. Stead, editan *[[Pall Mall Gazette]]*. Stead ya kasance mai gabatarwa na aikin jarida na bincike na zamani, tare da ƙwarewa ga abin mamaki. Ya kasance mai goyon bayan ƙungiyar Social Purity .

Scott ya ba da labaran yara da aka yi amfani da su ta hanyar jima'i ga Stead, wanda ya amince da yin aiki don goyon baya. Stead ya kafa "Kwamitin Bincike na Musamman da na Asirin" don bincika karuwancin yara, wanda ya haɗa da Josephine Butler, da wakilan Kwamitin London don Kaddamar da Traffic a cikin 'yan mata na Burtaniya don Manufofin Karuwanci na Continental (wanda Scott shine shugaban) da Sojojin Ceto. A matsayin wani ɓangare na binciken, mata biyu, ma'aikacin *Pall Mall Gazette* da wata yarinya daga Salvation Army, sun zama masu karuwanci kuma sun shiga gidajen karuwai, suna barin kafin a tilasta musu yin ayyukan jima'i. Butler ta shafe kwanaki goma tana tafiya a kan titunan Landan tare da ɗanta Georgie, tana nuna kanta a matsayin mai kula da gidan karuwai da mai sayarwa, bi da bi; tare sun kashe jimlar £ 100 suna sayen yara a cikin manyan gidajen karuwai. Stead, bi da bi, ya kuma yi magana da tsohon darektan binciken aikata laifuka a Scotland Yard don samun bayanai na farko; daga baya ya jefa net dinsa don haɗawa da masu kula da gidan karuwai masu aiki da masu ritaya, masu karuwanci, masu sayarwa, karuwai, ma'aikatan ceto da masu kulawar kurkuku.

Stead ya ji cewa yana buƙatar wani abu don yin ra'ayinsa: ya yanke shawarar sayen yarinya don nuna cewa zai iya yin hakan a ƙarƙashin hanci na doka.

## Manazarta