KORAPUT: District Child Protection Cell of Koraput has prevented child marriage in Laxmipur block under Kakriguma police limits. Following a tip-off, District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) Rajashree Dash along with her team rushed to the village, intervened and stopped the marriage of a Class X boy with a Class VII drop-out girl of Nandapur block on Wednesday. Dash said parents of the girl had reached the boy’s village a day before the wedding and a feast was organised for Mali community, to which the bride and groom belong.
Child marriages are conducted here as there is a belief in the community that a girl above 18 years cannot marry in Mali community, the DCPO said. Both the families were produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and an agreement was reached that the marriage will be conducted after the boy and girl attain 18 years.
The team comprised social worker Hemakanti Sahu, ICDS supervisor Kamla Nayak, Action Aid activist Rajlaxmi Behera, childline activist Monalisa Patnaik, Childline (Ward) Rena Bidika, OIC Kakriguma Surya Prakash Nayak and an ASI.