All marriage halls in the State will now have to keep a record of the age proof of the bride and the groom.
Without providing a valid document to prove that the bride is above 18 years of age and the groom above 21 years of age, no auditorium in the State can now be given for marriage function.
The onus is on the municipalities and Corporations to ensure that all auditoriums within their limits maintain the records of the couple’s age proof. The Directorate of Urban Affairs has issued an order to the municipalities and Corporations as part of the government’s efforts to put an end to child marriage in the State. The order, signed by Urban Affairs Joint Director (Administration) B.K. Balaraj, has directed the municipalities and Corporations to make sure that all marriage halls strictly adhere to the new rule.
The municipalities and Corporations have also been asked to revoke the licences of auditoriums used for child marriage. Auditoriums should not only collect and maintain the age proof of the bride and the groom, but also immediately report to the authorities if either of them has not achieved the legal age of marriage.
Complaint by Childline
The government order came in the wake of a directive by the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights in connection with a complaint from Childline officials in Palakkad district. The complaint was about child marriages across the district, and most of them were being held at auditoriums.
Child Rights Commission member K. Nazeer, in a directive issued in April this year, had asked the Urban Affairs Director and the Local Government Administration Director to issue guidelines to municipalities and local bodies to ensure that marriage halls within their limits maintain a record of the couple’s age proof. “Prevention is better than cure. We ought to do everything possible to prevent this malady called child marriage. Spreading awareness and making it mandatory for auditoriums to collect age proof of the bride and the groom is one big step forward,” said Mr. Nazeer.
