After launching series of proactive measures and awareness programmes, the Childline India Foundation, District Child Protection Unit (CPU) and Child Welfare Committee (CWC) have jointly prevented as many as 94 child marriages in the district during 2015-16.
Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, on ‘Childline Se Dosti,’ the week-long programme to make ordinary citizens stakeholders in Childline 1098, S. Karuppasamy, District Childline Director said they had stopped 94 child marriages compared to 73 in the previous year, thanks to increased awareness.
As they followed up the cases after stopping child marriages, they found that parents of three children conducted re-marriages ignoring their warning and they were facing legal consequences after police registered cases against them, he said. More than eight people were arrested in the three cases, he added.
He said compared to 562 calls last year, they had received 1,825 calls through childline helpline this year and made interventions in respect to 640 calls, he said adding they had rescued 15 child labourers and 28 children seeking alms, including eight with their parents and helped them to continue education. They had also identified 75 ‘dropout children’ and helped them continue education, he said. Besides, they arranged medical treatment for 36 underprivileged children and the beneficiaries included six children who had undergone heart surgeries and two hearing and speech impaired children, he said.
District Child Protection Officer S. Duraimurugan said the district witnessed 19 child sexual abuse cases. FIRs were registered in respect to ten cases and more than 22 people were arrested, he said adding victims and parents were counselled in nine other cases at the request of parents, he added.
The foundation also provided educational assistance to 139 poor children in the district and offered counselling to 59 children who had problems in schools and homes with the help of CWC and CPU officials, he added.
As part of the ‘Child Se Dosti’, the foundation would launch mass awareness campaigns and cultural events. On Friday, Superintendent of Police N. Manivannan would launch an awareness programme on POCSO Act (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, he said. Devipattinam Childline sub centre director S Devaraj, Rameswaram sub centre director Mannar Mannan and District Chidline coordinator M Anandaraj were present.
