The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : Marriages below 18 banned in Tatiaguda

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Monday, Feb 18, 2008
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Marriages below 18 banned in Tatiaguda

Correspondent

KORAPUT: Marriages below 18 years is banned in Tatiaguda village of Kotpad block in Koraput district. While marriage for children in their early teens was a regular practice in most of the tribal communities of Koraput district, these villagers, after acknowledging the ill effects of early marriage on the lives of the young couple and the new born children, have come up with a resolution imposing a strict ban on the practice of early marriage. No one below the age of 18 years was married in the village for the last one year, Tulabati Muduli , an elderly woman from the village said.

However this was not achieved on a single day, but only after the villagers had experienced a series of serious setbacks by marrying off their children at an early age. More particularly the case of Padmini Muduli, a girl from the village had changed the thoughts and actions in the village leading to this concluding resolution, she added. Padmini Muduli who had got married at the age of 10 years to Arjun Muduli, a boy of 12 years from the neighbouring village a few years back had still births in the first two consecutive pregnancies. While she was blessed with a son in her third pregnancy, it gave more shock than pleasure for the couple and also the villagers as the boy was born weak. Subsequent meetings in the village had re affirmed their stand to educate their children at least to complete their high school .

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