VIJAYAWADA: Child marriages in the NTR district continues unabated as the officials of Women and Child welfare, Childline, police and other NGOs have prevented 50 child marriages from January 1 to till date as on June 25.Experts state that the numbers may go higher as most of the cases are unreported, while in some cases officials concerned took action after the marriage was reported.
Stating that only few incidents are coming to the notice of officials, district Women and Child welfare projectdirector Umadevi said that they are trying to nullify the marriages by counselling parents or by filing cases against them under sections 6 and 11 of The Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929.
“In most of the cases, lack of awareness among parents, traditional orthodox practices, and poor economic status are considered to be the major perpetrators for turning young girls into brides before they even attain 18 years. In addition, meagre security for women, single mothers depending on their family members, ill-health, broken families and migration are some of the other reasons that contribute to increasing child marriages,” she added.
Speaking to TNIE, Umadevi said that the child marriage does not only affect the girl’s future, but also affects the society indirectly as a whole since this social evil reinforces a cycle of poverty and perpetuates gender discrimination, illiteracy and malnutrition as well as high infant and maternal mortality rates.
“While the roots of this old practice vary across countries and cultures. Some families marry off their minor daughters to reduce their economic burden immediately after completing class 10 or intermediate. Others may do so because they believe it will secure their daughter’s future or protect them. This practice would snatch away the basic rights of the girl child,” Umadevi explained. Explaining that necessary actions are being taken according to the law, she said as many as 10 cases were filed against the groom and parents of both sides for performing child marriages in the district.
“Child marriages are common in rural and tribal areas as they have no easy access to education and development. In our observation, we have noticed parents are agreeing to marry off their daughter who is generally seen as a burden in the family,” she said and added “The women and child welfare department has been taking up intensified drives to identify girls in the problematic villages and visiting their families periodically to prevent child marriages. Failing to adhere to rules, women and children welfare department officials with the help of police, are registering cases under relevant sections of IPC and POCSO Act,” she added.
Umadevi further said special teams were formed with the help of police and are creating awareness on the evil effects of child marriages.“We are strengthening the network of Anganwadi workers, volunteers and ground-level police to form a strong network where every incident of child marriage comes under our notice earlier so that it can be prevented,” she said.