The District Police Department in association with a non-governmental organisation will conduct an awareness campaign against child marriages across the district.
With the aim of making Madurai a child marriage-free district in the coming year, the police joined hands with private company Enteccon’s NGO wing, Manasatchi, and came up with the project ‘Zero Child Marriage 2014’. A programme was organised at the district police office to launch the project. The awareness programme will be conducted with the support of three city colleges, which will provide manpower to reach the people.
Stakeholders including panchayat union presidents, ward councillors, teachers, parents, friends and other people who can use influence to stop child marriages or even to get authorities to stop them will be targeted in the campaign, said Amarnath Alagappan (23), co-founder of Enteccon.
In first phase of the project they will train 40 MSW students from colleges including Madurai Institute of Social Sciences, American College and Lady Doak College. The trained students will take classes for 431 panchayat union leaders and ward councillors.
District SP V Balakrishnan said the police will instruct owners of Kalyana Mandapam, offset printers and hotels to get age proof for bride and bridegroom before processing their orders.