Based on stories of girls from three cities, this study introduces the issue of self-arranged marriages into the debate on child and early marriage in India. It provides qualitative insights into the contexts within which young relationships develop and are compelled into elopements, and to show how punitive legal responses cause harm to young lives. "The report is fascinating because it highlights some of the most crucial complexities that surround the issue of women’s freedoms... it is heart-breaking to read of a 17-year-old girl sent to a remand home and a 19-year-old boy imprisoned merely for the ‘crime’ of sleeping together or running away to get married.” - Vaishna Roy, Journalist (The Hindu, 2019)