Childline and Social Welfare Department officials rescued a prospective 15-year-old child bride by stopping her marriage with a 25-year-old man in Erwadi on Sunday.
On being alerted by a caller through Childline helpline ‘1098’ on April 15, Childline Coordinator M. Anandaraj George, accompanied by a team of officials from the Social Welfare Department, child protection unit, anti-human trafficking wing and police personnel rushed to the girl’s house and stopped the marriage.
After advising the girl’s parents to stop the marriage and counselling the girl to continue her studies, the officials, with the help of local police, summoned the parents of S. Mohamed Khan, the bridegroom, and advised them to stop the marriage, Mr. George said.
When they refused to pay heed to the advice, stating that they had made all the arrangements for the wedding, the police and the officials warned that they would be booked for conducting the illegal marriage and arrested if they went ahead with the plan.
After they explained to them about the Anti-child Marriage Act and how the girl would have health complications if the marriage was held at a young age, they agreed to call off the marriage, the officials said.
Though the parents of both the girl and the man gave written undertakings that they would conduct the marriage only after the girl attained 18 years of age, the local police and Childline officials kept a watch and ensured that the marriage did not take place on Sunday, they said.
Distress call
A 16-year-old girl, studying Plus One in Nainarkoil area, called the Childline helpline on Monday and requested the officials to stop her marriage. She wanted to pursue studies but her parents were planning to marry her off to her maternal uncle, she said.
The marriage was yet to be fixed but the officials would visit the girl’s parents and counsel them to drop the plan, Mr. George said.
