KARIMNAGAR: Officials of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) prevented 35 child marriages in the Karimnagar district in the last two years. According to officials, many marriages were prevented in Manakondur and Ramadugu mandals.
Stepping up efforts to prevent child marriages, officials are now planning to strengthen child protection committees as it has been observed that parents in rural areas, especially of underprivileged families, propose child marriages of both boys and girls.
K Sabitha Kumari, a senior ICDS official said, “In our observation, the number of school dropouts has increased during the pandemic. Many children have become addicted to mobile phones and spend time on objectionable websites. Many parents think that getting their children married will make them avoid falling into regressive addictions.”
She said that they will involve village heads, Anganwadi and Asha workers to strengthen child protection committees in the villages. “We will also hold frequent awareness programmes over this issue.”
Child Line India Foundation (CLIF) is also actively working to address most of the calls received on helpline number 1098, which provide tip-offs about proposed child marriages in the villages. They pass on the details to ICDS authorities, police and revenue authorities to prevent child marriages.