Karnataka - Hubli-Dharwad   

Child brides, grooms narrate their experiences

An initiative: Children lighting the lamp at the inaugural function of the Public Hearing on Child Marriages in Dharwad on Saturday. Seen are Chairman of the Karnataka State Child Rights Protection Commission Nina Nayak and others.

Dharwad: The audience at the Public Hearing on Child Marriages listened to the narrations of ‘married’ children with rapt attention and utter disbelief.

It was organised in Dharwad on Saturday by KIDS (Karnataka Integrated Development Services) Dharwad, a non-profit voluntary registered Trust working for the overall development of women and children in urban and rural areas of Dharwad district.

Chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Nina Nayak, representatives from several non-governmental organisations and government officials participated in the public hearing.

The audience was shocked when a fourth standard student Mangala Dasanakoppa (name changed) came on stage and narrated as to how she was married off to her mother’s brother who is a 24-year-old person with physical disability.

She answered queries such as what Maruti her ‘husband’ did for a living and whether she was interested in studies and what her dreams were.

The audience, largely comprising women and children of Kelageri, received a shock when they learnt that another fourth standard student Kallavva Madivala was married at the age of one and had already lost her husband.

The Public Hearing witnessed several victims of child marriages share their experiences, thoughts, dreams and woes with the audience comprising several activists working for protection of child rights.

Even as one victim after another narrated her story of marriage interrupting her childhood, the irreversible damage that child marriages have caused became evident. They were nothing else but a series of tales of sorrow and suffering. Balavva Badad who was married when she was 13 years old became a victim of domestic violence and now lives with her younger brother.

Yallavva was married when she was 15 years of age. But her husband deserted her soon after and she now ekes out a living working as a farm labourer.

Lagamavva, married at the age of 12 years, was also a victim of domestic violence and now lives separately while Shobha who married at the age of 8 years has lost her husband and is in need of help.

While the child brides narrated their tales, members of the jury, former District Magistrate S.B. Tambad, senior journalist Gopalkrishna Hegde, and Dr. Padmni wanted to know how the victims of child marriages could be helped. They suggested the organisers to do follow-up work and report to them on action-taken report.

Earlier, speaking after inaugurating the public hearing, Nina Nayak said that 32 per cent of the marriages in Karnataka were child marriages.

She said it was because of ignorance and superstitious beliefs that so many child marriages were recorded in the State. She called for an all-out effort by the civil society to end the practice of child marriage.

Child Protection Officer of the Department of Women and Child Development Suchitra Rao said that in spite of living in a technology driven world, people were reluctant to do away with their age-old traditions.

Deputy Director of the Department of Women and Child Development Malati Pol listed out the steps being taken to put a tab on child marriages in the State.

President of KIDS Pankaja Kalmath and Secretary Ashok Yaragatti were among those present.

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