LUCKNOW: Authorities stopped the proposed marriage of a 12-year-old girl from the Musahar community and a 17-year-old boy in Jaunpur district of eastern Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday evening, following information provided by Aastha Mahila Evam Bal Vikas Sanstha, a partner organisation of the child protection network Just Rights for Children (JRC).
The proposed marriage came to light when a labourer working for an associate of the organisation said he needed to leave early to attend the wedding of a relative’s daughter. When asked about the girl’s age, he disclosed that she was very young, did not want to marry and that her family was rushing ahead with the wedding.
Acting on the information, the organisation’s team reached the venue in Mathia village, under the Chandwak police station area, and found that preparations were nearly complete and the family was waiting for the baraat (wedding procession).
The team alerted Childline, the Child Marriage Prohibition Officer and the police. A joint team reached the venue as the wedding rituals were underway.
The girl was taken to Chandwak police station. After the legal formalities, she was handed over to the Child Welfare Committee.
Officials explained the legal provisions governing child marriage to the girl’s parents and warned them of the consequences of an early marriage. Her father subsequently signed an affidavit undertaking not to marry her off before she reached the legal age for marriage, sources said.
According to police sources, the girl’s parents work as labourers at a brick kiln. The scale of the wedding preparations, despite the family’s circumstances, raised concerns about possible third-party involvement or a financial arrangement, although neither was established.
Santosh Kumar Pandey, director of Aastha Mahila Evam Bal Vikas Sanstha, said the presence of so many people at the wedding without anyone intervening highlighted the need to speak up against child marriage.
“Child marriage is not only a private family matter; it robs a child of her childhood, education and fundamental rights. It will end only when people choose to speak up instead of remaining silent when they see a child being married off,” he said.
Pandey added that the organisation would ensure the girl was enrolled in school so she could pursue her dreams.
During her appearance before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), the girl said she had repeatedly told her family that she did not want to marry and wished to study, but her pleas had gone unheard. Instead, she had been made to work at the brick kiln.
