BENGALURU: In a proactive move and immediate response to the news report, ‘Married at 15, this young widow has 2 kids’ that appeared in TNIE on August 20, the Director, Department of Women & Child Development (DWCD) wrote to the District Child Protection Officer (DCPU), Chamarajanagar district, and Child Development Project Officer (CDPO), Kollegal taluk, to “provide necessary services to the 21-year-old (mentioned in the news report) who is a victim of child marriage as per the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006, and the Karnataka Amendment, 2016, prepare a comprehensive report and submit the same to the Directorate by August 24”, a letter dated August 20 stated.
Officials take note of the victim’s plight
TNIE had met over 25 young women – all survivors of child marriage -- in Kollegal, Chamarajanagar district, on August 12. Most of them had borne children at the age of 14-15 years. One of them, Lat h a (name changed, 21), who was married at the age of 15 years, is a mother of two children, aged six and four. Her alcoholic husband died by suicide some months ago, leaving her to fend for herself and her children.
Project Director and Secretary, People’s Movement for Self-Reliance (PMSR) Adiss Arnold told The New Indian Express that on Saturday evening, the CDPO, Kollegal taluk, called him after receiving the Director, DWCD’s letter. “Today, the CDPO sent his staff (supervisor of Anganwadis) to our office to get details of Latha. On Monday, our coordinator has been asked to meet the CDPO to discuss ways to help her, ” said Arnold.
The Initiatives for Married Adolescent Girls Empowerment (IMAGE) 2.0 – a project supported by the Azim Premji Foundation -- is being implemented by PMSR to empower married adolescent girls through various initiatives, including job-oriented skills and vocational training in Chamarajanagar district.