VELLORE: Taking advantage of the lockdown restrictions many parents are in a hurry to marry off their minor daughters in Vellore region and Tiruvannamalai. June has witnessed a spike in distress calls to government helplines set for child marriage cases in both the regions.
“In combined Vellore district, as many as 35 child marriages were stopped by authorities of government departments and agencies including Childline, Social Welfare, Revenue and Police. And interventions were made in five post-marriage cases,” according to Murugeswari, District Social Welfare Officer (DSWO).
Why the spike?
Many factors can be attributed to the exponential spike, particularly the COVID-induced lockdown and the consequent restrictions put in place.
“People take advantage of the lockdown restrictions. They think the officers of the concerned department may not reach due to preoccupation with the pandemic control activities,” T Christina Dorthy, District Social Welfare Officer (DSWO), Tiruvannamalai, told TNIE.
She added, “Moreover, during lockdown, the parents need not invite many of their relatives or arrange the marriage in public places like temples and halls. So, what they do is solemnize the marriage within the four walls of their house.”
Low cost wedding during lockdown restrictions is also cited to be another factor leading to the spike.
Tiruvannamalai, Thandrampat, Kalasapakkam, Arni and Chengam blocks had reported maximum number of child marriage attempts during the lockdown.
Most of the rescued minor girls in both combined Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts were school students and dropouts.
In one of the most recent rescue act, the volunteers and officers in Tiruvannamalai rescued a 13-year-old who had just completed Class VIII in a government school.
“Using the extended holidays for the educational institutions, some parents tend to get their minor girl children married off,” said a volunteer with the Childline.
Rescuers put life on the line
The officers and volunteers are risking their lives by rescuing these children from being forced to tie the knot and put an end to the social scourge of child marriages during the time of the global pandemic.
The telephones at the Childline office were ringing more often during June with calls flooding. Nothwithstanding the risks of contracting the viral infection, the officials and volunteers had rushed to attend to calls.
“Although there was lockdown, we had received the highest number of calls, 40, in June. We had to run to the spot as soon as receiving the calls to stop the marriage and rescue the children,” said KS Devendran, Coordinator of Childline in combined Vellore.
Combined Vellore consists of both Tirupathur and Ranipet districts. Twenty minor marriages were stopped in Tiruvannamalai in June while interventions were made in 11 post-marriage cases.
As many as 13 child marriages were stopped in May and 8 in April in combined Vellore, including Tirupathur and Ranipet districts and interventions made in 4 post marriage cases.
The figures for Tiruvannamalai are 13 in May and 12 in April whereas interventions were made in 7 cases in May and 4 in April.