HYDERABAD: The situation created by Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown restrictions imposed by the government, pushed more minors into child marriages in the recent times than in previous months, according to the State Women Development and Child Welfare Department. In a span of over five months, the Department’s Child Welfare Committees rescued 597 minors -- 425 from child marriages and 147 from child labour.
As per the data, recorded between March 22 and the end of August, more than 19 children were rescued in Hyderabad and 12 of them from the jaws of child marriage.
According to people involved in the rescue of these, the numbers are almost 10 times more than what they used see in normal times. “During these months (Mar to Aug), around 50 to 70 child marriages used to be reported every year. This year there was a sharp rise in numbers, mostly were reported from Vikarabad, Warangal (R) and Mahbubnagar districts,” A Venkateshwarlu, State Coordinator of Bachapan Bachao Andolan, said.
The officials of ChildLine, meanwhile, revealed that soon after the imposition of lockdown they started receiving tip-offs on families marrying off their minor children.
While some married off their children, taking advantage of the lockdown rules which restricted weddings to be low-key affairs, others resorted to the same due to financial burden brought in by the Covid-induced economic slowdown.
During lockdown, thousands of children from government and private child care centres in the state were repatriated. As per government data, around 9,000 off a total of 13,000 children from such centres were sent back to their families. With no means to look after them properly, the poor families either pushed them into child marriages or forced them to work as child labourers.