CHILD MARRIAGE ALERT IN STATE

■ Many get minor daughters married on Akshaya Tritiya day as it is considered auspicious

Akshaya Tritiya, on May 9 is not all about buying gold. Some families get their minor children married on the day, in the belief that a bride entering their home on Akshaya Tritiya brings good luck.

Child protection officials across the state are gearing up to stop them.

The women and child development ministry has sent a circular to Telangana state, AP, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu governments to watch out for child marriages on Akshaya Tritiya. The ministry has appreciated the Telangana government’s steps in curbing child marriages in the last 16 months.

Officials in Telangana have formed committees in state, district, mandal and village levels to take action against child marriages. The Telangana state women and child welfare department, with the coordination of Childline, NGOs, Balala Hakkula Sangham, labour and police departments, has stopped more than 500 child marriages in the last 12 months.

Hyderabad district child protection officer Imtyaz Rahim said that the department, along with NGOs, has counselled qazis and religious heads in the city.

“We have launched a massive awareness programmes in slums and mostly concentrate on areas where migrants live,” he said. “In the city, we are coordinating with NGOs and other government departments like labour, revenue and police. We have stopped 26 child marriages from January 1. Most of the families that encouraged child marriages had migrated from neighbouring districts and states,” he added.

Ranga Reddy district CPO Pa nu gan ti Sathish said they had stopped about 132 child marriages in the last four months.

The government has formed committees from village level to prevent child marriages . Anganwadi committees function under the chairmanship of the respective village sarpanch.

As per directions of the government, the committee should meet in the first week of every month.

Anti-child marriage and monitoring committees are also functioning at the village level.

The sarpanch is the committee chairman and an Anganwadi worker, an SHG worker, a girl from the village, the VRO, the Sakshara Bharat coordinator, an Asha worker, a VRA, an MPTC, a ward member, an NGO and a teacher are members in the committee.

These committees wil obtain info about marriages in the village. Similar panels exist in mandal and district level.

CRY says, “Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012 does not recognise sexual autonomy in children below 18 years, which is the legal age for marriage.”