TIRUVANNAMALAI: Four child marriages were stopped and the brides –minor girls aged between 15 and 17 years –were rescued in the district on Thursday. District Social Welfare Office (DSWO), District Child Protection Unit (DCPU), and the Childline officials stopped the marriages, based on tip-offs received from the public on the 1098 Childline number. On Thursday, the officials intervened and stopped three of the four marriages that were scheduled to be solemnised on Friday and stopped the other marriage scheduled on Thursday.
“The children were rescued and admitted to a reception home under the care of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC),” DSWO in-charge Kandhan told TNIE. The parents and family members of the bridegrooms were warned against engaging in such illegal practices. The girls will be sent back to live with their parents if they are willing to go, said the DSWO in-charge.
“The last few days were auspicious for marriage, so these people arranged the ceremonies. Mostly, these marriages are conducted secretly in houses or small temples, where no age proof of the bride/bridegroom is required,” added the DSWO in-charge. Of the four girls, two girls were rescued from the Thandrampattu block and one each from Chengam and Kalasapakkam blocks.