Officials from Childline, in coordination with Padmanabham Police and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) members, prevented the marriage of a 13-year-old girl in Padmanabham mandal in Visakhapatnam districton Saturday.
Based on credible information and following instructions from State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) member G. Sitharam, a team from Childline led by its District Coordinator David Raju and police went to Yenugulapalem village and prevented the marriage of a minor girl, a Class VII student. According to Mr. David Raju, the family members have decided to performe the marriage of the girl with a 32-year-old man.
“We understood that the man had financially helped the family of the girl and was trying to exploit the situation. In this case, mother of the girl was also very much convinced to perform the marriage,” he said. “The family members of both the parties have decided to take the girl to Narasapuram in West Godavari district on Saturday night to perform the marriage on June 9,” he said.
The Childline officials in coordination with Child Welfare Committee (CWC) members have shifted the girl to a shelter home for security.
