The child brides of Andhra

Insecurity, poverty force parents to perform child marriages

Lost childhood: Most of the child brides are aged between 12 and 15 years.

Even as the officials are making tall claims on preventing child marriages, girl child protection and education, the benefits are not reaching the target group and the huge number of child marriages in the capital region is worrying the child rights activists.

Andhra Pradesh Mahila Commission Chairperson Nananpaneni Rajakumari, who visited the Government General Hospitals (GGHs) in Vijayawada and Guntur, was shocked over girls, aged below 15, becoming mothers and giving birth to underweight babies.

Lost childhood

• *425 child marriages stopped in Krishna in three years
• *Most of the girls are aged between 12 and 15
• *Poor coordination among various government departments seen
• *Mahila Commission shocked over young mothers giving birth to anaemic babies
• *Many of the child marriage victims are from broken families
• *More than 25 cases booked under Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006
• *More than 250 child marriages were performed, say unofficial reports
• *On many occasions, WD&CW officials were attacked by the kin
• *Not enough shelter homes for child marriage victims in AP Capital
• *Some victims approach police and DCPU staff urging them to save their lives
• *No official probed flesh trade angle
• *Infants delivered by girls below 16 years are suffering from malnutrition
• *In some cases friends stopped child marriages

The District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) staff of the Women Development and Child Welfare (WD&CW) Department stopped over 425 marriages in the last three years in Krishna district and more than 250 marriages might have gone unnoticed. As many as 25 cases were booked against the bridegrooms and other accused of both the parties under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006.

In many cases, parents are marrying off their minor daughters due to fear of crime against women and the brutal attacks on girls. The victims are aged between 12 and 15 in many cases and are from broken families, say the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) members.

“We are watching on television and reading in newspapers about the sexual assaults, inhuman acts of criminals and kidnapping of minor girls. I am very worried about the security of my daughter. So, I decided to marry her off after she completed SSC. But the WD&CW and police officials stopped the marriage and counselled us,” said the father of a 14-year-old girl.

“In some cases, the victims were referred to some NGO homes for temporary rehabilitation, where the girls were abused. There were not enough shelter homes to rehabilitate the minor girls rescued during child marriages,” a CWC member preferring anonymity said.

WD&CW District Project Director (PD) K. Krishna Kumar said nearly 600 village and Mandal Level Child Protection Committees had been formed to prevent child marriages. The village elders, sarpanch, Anganwadi teacher, students, headmaster, teacher and Asha workers are the committee members who will alert the police about such marriages.

“On some occasions, the kin of the bride and the bridegroom attacked the Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) and the DCPU staff when they tried to stop the wedding in villages. Even then, we are stopping child marriages,” the PD said.

District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) Ch. Vijay Kumar said in a case, the friends of a ninth standard girl went to the house of an officer and alerted the DCPU staff, who swung into action and registered a case against the accused.

“I lost my parents and was staying in my uncles’ house at Agiripalli in Krishna district. My uncle and aunt fixed my marriage with a private employee. Though I rejected the proposal, they forced me and finally the DCPU staff came to my rescue and I am continuing my education,” said a tenth standard student.

“Victims tell pathetic tales when they are produced before the CWC. The situation is alarming,” CWC Chairman B. Nagesh Rao said and stressed on better coordination among various government departments to stop the practice.

In many cases, we also faced the wrath of the public representatives, who directed the staff to handover the bride to her parents and threatened to take action if a case was registered. “We are facing pressure from the political leaders in child marriage cases,” an Anganwadi worker said.

“In a delivery case admitted to the Guntur GGH, the mother was around 16 and gave birth to a baby who was very weak. Child marriages are high in the region,” Ms. Rajakumari told The Hindu .

In most of the cases, the bride or groom is from East, West Godavari or Guntur districts and they perform marriages at churches or the Durga temple in the city. “We have kept vigil at the temples and churches and coordination meetings were conducted with the Endowments Department officials to stop child marriages,” a CDPO said.

The WD&CW Department in association with the Child Rights Advocacy Foundation (CRAF) has been conducting meetings in schools and villages to stop child marriages. As many as 30 mandals had been covered so far, said CRAF State project director Francis Thambi.

“We are spreading awareness about the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, Right to Education Act, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and other laws to prevent child marriages,” Mr. Francis said.

Members of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR), who visited the State capital recently, expressed concern over the menace in the AP capital region.