Pune: A total of 560 children’s marriages have been foiled by the Women’s Development Department and the State Police in the drought prone to Solapur, Osmanabad, Latur and several other districts during the locking period from March 2020 to April 2021.
While the first information on the report (Firs) was submitted by the authorities In many cases, 58 was registered with the affected girls at police stations throughout the state, Manhais Birar, Program Officer (Child Protection) of the Child and Child Development Department, told toi.
“The previous department stopped at least 250 marriages of children per year.
Most prevented in the rural Marathwada.
Child marriage in the district-reduced district has increased after locking was held in March 2020,” Birar said.
Their team posted in the district headquarters were told about the marriage of children and their members arrived in time to prevent them, Birar said.
Some child marriages are reported from semi-urban areas and cities too, he added.
Biraris associates the child’s marriage to the loss of income of parents, girls live at home because the school is closed and the low cost of marriage due to restrictions on the guest number.
Hamid Dabholkar of Maharashtra Andhshraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), whose organization prevents five marriages such as that in the past two months, saying they also observed more children’s marriages in the locking period.
“Many parents arrange weddings from their little daughters, but the number of married little boys can be ignored.
Parents want to marry their young daughters as soon as possible because of social and financial pressure,” he said.
Dabholkar said the unemployed migrants returned to their village from urban areas and such a family considered the girls as a burden.
“Second, the girls at home when the school has closed because of locking norms.
Parents want to marry their daughter instead of investing money in their education,” he added.
Anuradha Sahasrabudhe, Director Dnyana Devi Childline, said, “There is no money with many families, no food, and no school.
Parents, especially in rural areas, thinking they can save money if their daughter married earlier.”