The District Social Welfare Department and Childline rescued a prospective ‘child bride’ on Monday by stoppingthe marriage of the 17-year-old Dalit girl, scheduled for Wednesday morning, at Andhakudi in Tiruvadanai taluk.
After a caller alerted the officials about the marriage plans by calling the toll-free Childline number 1098, District Social Welfare Officer A. Malaiarasi, accompanied by Childline member S. Kanagaraj, visited the girl’s house at Karavalasi, an interior village, and stopped the marriage.
The marriage of the girl who was awaiting the results of the Plus Two examinations and A. Senthil Murugan (25) of Panjarathikottai in RS Mangalam block, employed in Malaysia, has been fixed to take place at the Murugan temple in Andhakudi between 9 a.m and 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
Mr. Kanagaraj said the girl’s parents who were illiterates argued with the officials that such marriages were common in their area and found fault with them for stopping their daughter’s marriage.
After the officials explained the ill-effects of child marriage and made it clear that the girl could be married only after she attained the age of 18 years as per law, they gave a written undertaking to stop the marriage.
It was difficult to convince the groom’s family members as they kept asking the officials whether there were some loopholes in the law prohibiting child marriage. They, however, gave a written undertaking to stop the marriage when the officials, including Sub-Inspector of Police, Anti-Human Trafficking Wing, Anitha warned them of stern action.
Enquiries made with St Francis Higher Secondary School at CK Mangalam, where the girl was studying, revealed that she was a bright student, and the girl was advised to pursue her studies by availing herself of government assistance, Mr. Kanagaraj said.
The temple priest was also summoned and warned of arrest if he conducted the marriage, he said, adding the local Village Administrative Officer and the panchayat president had been asked to keep a watch on them.
