Andhra Pradesh   

On a mission to end child marriages

— Photo: S. Rambabu

CREATING Awareness: Balika Sangham member explaining students about evil effects of child marriages at Kotananduru village in East Godavari district.

Samalkot (East Godavari): Villagers of Madhavapatnam in this mandal have assembled at Panchayat office in the evening to witness a street play ‘Appude Pelli Vaddu’, staged by the village girls and members of ‘Kadalika’ group. The theme of the play is to fight child marriages. The play moved the villagers and the following day the same group arranged an exhibition on evil effects of child marriages.

Wherever child marriage is taking place, a team of ‘Kadalika’ members are present there and they will convince the bride and groom as well as their parents, village and community heads and postpone the marriage. Kadalika, a non-government organisation of East Godavari, takes up campaign against child marriages in 28 villages of six mandals. It has come out with a number of case studies about child marriages. Kadalika, with the support of the State government’s Integrated Child Development Scheme and UNICEF, has taken up six-month programme in these selected 28 villages.

It has formed ‘Balika Sanghalu’ with school drop-outs, aged between 10-18 years and also a few girls who are going to schools. Mothers’ awareness campaign on child marriages, awareness to officials and elected representatives on the related laws are the first phase of activities of the Kadalika. The Balika Sanghalu will stage plays in their villages and render songs like ‘Chaduvuleni Na Batuku’ in the evenings.

In the second month they will do the case studies of five girls who got married below 15 years and record their plight. Rights of the woman, health aspects, media and development and other activities will be taught to the rural girls through different types of games, which will give moral and physical support to the adolescent girls. “We initiate live discussion among Dwacra groups on child marriages. Legal awareness campaigns are also planned. We are getting good response, but at the same time lot of resistance from villagers,” says Harish, founder of Kadalika.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Bank official critically injured as bullet goes off accidentally
A.P. Government warns officials
Common facility for marketing of handicrafts
Villagers seek action against realtor
Minister’s proposal on sale of tamarind triggers row
Club office-bearers
On a mission to end child marriages
One-day training meeting
Joining hands for a cause
Precious liquid
Creative lot
Review meet on polio drive
Accusation untrue
ZPTCs stage walk-out
Jobs for one lakh families
Complete Devadula fast: CPI
Workshop on teaching excellence
Broadband woes
National-level technical symposium
Bhavishyanidhi Adalat on Feb.11
LIFE workshop at Hotel Green Park
CPI’s appeal
Noble gesture
Promoting Hindi
What they say
Computer room inaugurated
Prepare data on leopards
Ex-players feted

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu