IDUKKI: After a brief lull, a case of child marriage was reported from Edamalakkudy, the first tribal panchayat in the state, on Monday. As per the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) officials, a 47-year-old man had married a 15-year-old girl at the settlement one month ago, with the consent of her mother and stepfather. However the issue came to light only last week after a complaint in this regard was received at the Childline in Munnar.
“Following this, I directed the child development project officer in the area to submit a report on the issue. The report submitted on Monday confirmed that the marriage had indeed taken place at the settlement and the girl is living with the man,” CWC chairperson Jayaseelan Paul told .
He said the incident has been reported to the Munnar police and they have requested to produce her before the committee after carrying out necessary legal procedures like her medical check-up.
“A case will be lodged against the accused as per the provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act,” he said.
Jayaseelan said although child marriage was prevalent among the Muthuvan tribal communities of Edamalakkudy, it is after four years that a case is being reported from the settlement. “With the effective intervention of CWC, District Child Protection Unit and anganwadi workers and through awareness programmes, the authorities were able to bring down such acts in the settlement. However this time, we were informed about the marriage too late,” he said. Once the police produce the girl before the committee, she will be transferred to a safe centre, the official said.