Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

New role for purohits

P. Sujatha Varma

VIJAYAWADA: Purohits, who solemnise marriages, and owners of kalyana mandapams will soon have a role in curbing child marriages. The Women and Child Welfare Department in Krishna district will launch a campaign against the social evil.

As part of its decision, the district administration has asked mandal revenue officers (MROs), mandal parishad development officers (MPDOs) and child development project officers (CDPOs) to launch a joint awareness campaign against the bane at mandal level.

Advisory panel meet

In a recent advisory committee meeting, Collector Navin Mittal asked MROs, MPDOs and CDPOs to involve village secretaries, owners and managers of kalyana mandapams, purohits, elected representatives and officials and staff of police and women and child welfare departments in the campaign. He also suggested that the officials could seek assistance from woman activists and non-governmental organisations, which enjoyed a rapport with people.

"Child marriage stokes social backwardness of girl children. It is, therefore, imperative to curb this evil," says M.J. Nirmala, project director of the district Women and Child Welfare Department.

Attributing the problem to illiteracy, Ms. Nirmala says the practice is seen more in areas like Mylavaram, Nuzvid, Agiripalli, Bapulapadu, A. Kondur, Reddygudem, Gampalagudem, Chatrai, Vissannapet and Thiruvuru. The department has been educating mothers in villages against marrying their girl children at an early age. The timely intervention by the department could prevent the marriage of a 12-year-old girl at Rajugudem village under Thiruvuru mandal of Krishna district. The anganwadi worker in the village got wind of the issue and informed the higher-ups about the proposed marriage. Responding swiftly to the information, an official team descended on the village a couple of days before the proposed marriage and persuaded the girl's grandparents to give up their move. "The girl has joined a social welfare school to pursue studies," she says.

Directive to officials

Mr. Mittal has issued a set of instructions to the officers involved in the campaign against child marriages. He has asked them to book cases against those responsible for such wedlock and also mobilise public opinion against the social evil.

Other objectives of the drive are to encourage NGOs working against child marriage system, to give top priority to the welfare of girl children and adolescent girls, to educate village leaders and elders regarding the social evil and to initiate action against those who solemnise such marriages.

Ms. Nirmala says the campaign will be kicked off in the first week of November.

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