TIRUPPUR: Despite intense awareness campaigns, incidents of child marriage attempts continue to rise in Tiruppur. Activists point out that a total of 363 child marriages was stopped in four years which indicates that continuance of the malice.
According to data shared by Social Welfare Department (Tiruppur), 97 child marriages were stopped in 2019. This trend continued, 82 child marriage and 86 child marriages were stopped in 2020 and 2021 respectively. But 98 Child marriages were stopped in 2022. Police refused to share the number of cases that were registered regarding child marriages.
Social activist S Palanikumar said, “The report of the social welfare department is not something we can feel satisfied with. The number of marriages stopped should have dropped every year. But the figures show that the trend has almost been static. So the report is not a success story but a failure of the social welfare department.”
Explaining the reasons for child marriage, he said “Parents belonging to poor families in the lower and low-middle class mainly indulge in this practice, and it is common in rural pockets of the district. Despite conducting several awareness campaigns about the issues revolving around child marriage, the marriages keep happening.”
Childline (Tiruppur) coordinator N Kadirvel said,”Parents tend to marry off their minor daughters if they get a proposal from a family with sound financial background. They do not bother about the physical and emotional condition of the girl. Such marriages happen mostly within the community or caste and are hushed up.”
Seen in this backdrop, the role of field workers such as village nurse, anganwadi workers, who have deep penetration among the rural people, is significant. Activists say the field workers act as a source for identifying and stopping child marriages.
Officials from the Social Welfare Department maintain that they have been successful in bringing down child marriages. “We have formed block level and village level committees to identify and prevent child marriages. Officials like Block Development officer(BDO), Block Medical Officer (BMO), Revenue Inspector (RI), Village Administrative Officer (VAO) have been instructed to inform us if they spot an issue.
We also conduct awareness programmes with local officials and field staff of the social welfare department. More importantly, panchayat presidents, secretaries are primary members of the village level committee have greatly helped us to stop child marriages, but there is still more to be done,” an official said.