Chennai: Authorities stopped 11,553 children’s marriages in the last five years in Tamil Nadu, but only in 583 cases, or less than 5%, the firs was submitted based on the Child Marragaes Act, 2006, according to RTI data from the Directorate of Social Welfare.
Just registering more cases will prevent parents from doing child marriages, said activists.
“Not a single case has been registered in Krishnagiri Regency, one of the high prevalence districts for such cases.
There is no follow-up of the girls who are saved from the marriage of children,” said S Prabarak, a social activist and a RTI applicers.
Advocate Sudha Ramalingam said the government and NGO had to tell people that the child’s marriage was evil.
“We need to tell the parents that their girls can be safe without getting married.
Without this awareness, the action itself will not be useful.
The law is only one instrument for social change,” he said.
A senior police officer who deals with crimes against women and children say most parents who do child marriages are betting every day, which is shown economically weakly by pandemic.
“We prevented child marriage only when we received complaints.
The girl’s parents never advanced to register complaints.
They apologized and gave a written statement that they would not do any marriage.
We registered cases where the marriage was done.” An adult man (over the age of 21) marries underage brides is, along with the parents / guardians of the girl and anyone who does marriage, breaks the law and, if punished, can be sentenced to two years in prison.
“Children’s wedding prevention measures have been around for more than 100 years.
In 1891, the age of the permit action was ratified.
Regardless of this action, the child’s marriage continues.
This is a social problem and the government must overcome the problem of livelihoods.
Most parents married daughter They are at a young age because of their living conditions, “said R Vidyasagar, a former child protection specialist with UNICEF.