A couple of months ago, Uma, a student of intermediate second year, and a resident of Salur in Vizianagaram district, walked into the house of a girl studying tenth class in the same village and stopped a marriage that was being performed for the 15-year-old. Uma was accompanied by 15 other members from the Child Club, an initiative of NGO ChildFund and the local police.
Similarly, V.S. Gangadevi (17) of PS Praja Seva Samaj of Kadiri village in Anantapur district claimed that in the last two years, the samaj that comprises adolescent girls stopped 1,075 child marriages with the help of the local authorities.
Such heroic stories were highlighted on the inaugural day of the three-day State-level children’s convention on child protection with special focus on child marriages.
The convention is being organised by Nature, an NGO working for child rights in association with ChildFund India and National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
Talking to The Hindu , L. Sonia Dominica, programme coordinator of ChildFund, said that child marriages were rampant across the country and there were many reasons for it. “We need to address this issue holistically by targeting the cultural, educational and economic parameters,” she said.
Impact on health
According to Aruna of ChildFund, child marriages play havoc with the health of the adolescent. “The health of both the young mother and the child is affected,” she said.
Balaraju, founder of Nature, pointed out that child marriage system was prevalent in the tribal areas in the districts of Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, East Godavari and Vizianagaram.
Addressing the gathering of NGOs, stakeholders and children, Mr. Balaraju said that in AP 30.3 % of the women in the age group of 20-24 got married before attaining 18 years of age and in the last three years 2,215 child marriages were stopped with the intervention of various stakeholders and the government agencies.
Around 200 Children Club leaders representing the districts of Chittoor, Kurnool, Ananthapur, East Godavari, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam, are participating in the three-day convention.
A resolution will be passed on the concluding day.
