KRISHNAGIRI: Following a long pending demand from child rights and officials from the child protection unit, the Tamil Nadu government has transferred the subject 'Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006' from the directorate of social welfare and women empowerment to the directorate of children welfare and special services.
Social Welfare and Women Empowerment department had passed an government order on February 26 stating the transfer of Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 to Directorate of Children Welfare and Special Services.
The order read, "The Tamil Nadu State Rules for Prohibition of Child Marriage Act has been framed to implement the Act. District Social Welfare Officer (DSWO) has been notified as the Child Marriage Prohibition Officer (CMPO) of the concerned district. Apart from this, a panchayat-level committee has constituted with the panchayat president as chairperson to assist CMPO."
Meeting were already convened with the respective departments and Minister of Social Welfare and Women Empowerment for the past four years. Following the order, the director of social welfare was ordered to handover all records relevant to the directorate of children welfare and special services. Similarly, children welfare department was asked to send necessary proposal for amendment to Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Child Marriage Rules, 2009.
A Devaneyan, child rights activist and director of Thozhamai, an NGO, told TNIE, "Hereafter, all cases related to children below 18 will come under a single umbrella. Also, more manpower will be required and staff at block levels should be appointed to prevent child marriage."
A child protection department official said, "There are 15 staff in the district child protection unit in each district, in which only two social workers and two outreach workers will work on ground. But in the social welfare department, two staff will be available at block-level in the name of Block Extension Officer and Rural Welfare Officer."