RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: Child marriage, a deeply-rooted social norm, is still rampant in the erstwhile East Godavari. Even as official figures say 331 instances of the practice were stopped in the last three years in the region, many child marriages are performed secretly and manage to avoid from coming under the official scanner. As such, officials are pinning hopes on the fairly-new village and ward volunteer system to eradicate the social evil.
As per the official data, 331 child marriages were prevented so far since 2019 (149 in 2019, 111 in 2020, 57 in 2021 and 14 in 2022 so far). Most of the families which decided to marry off their daughters are from poor financial backgrounds even as the socio-cultural and structural factors played key role.In a recent case, a child marriage was stopped by ICDS officials at a village in Tallarevu mandal. The health of the girl’s father was deteriorating, which prompted the family to marry off their daughter at the age of 14.
Most of the 331 cases were reported from Rajanagaram, Korukonda and Gokavaram in Rajamahendravaram; Gandepalli, Jaggampeta abd Prattipadu in Kakinada; and Tallarevu, Mummidivaram and a few other parts in Konaseema area.K Praveena, ICDS-project director, said poverty, financial insecurity, lack of education, patriarchy and gender inequality contribute to child marriages. “A committee has been formed in every village to prevent child marriages. We hold meetings with Anganwadi workers and women associations every month and ask them sensitise people in the villages about the issue,” she added.