Child marriage bid foiled in Ranga Reddy
Hyderabad: A child marriage was averted as officials came to rescue of 14-year-old girl from getting married. All thanks to the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights in collaboration with an NGO Child Marriage Free India , Women and Child Development (WCD), and State Legal Services Authority (SLSA) who recently stopped the parents of the girl from performing the engagement and convinced them to send the girl to the school.
According to the members of Child Marriage Free India, with the aim to end child marriage in Telangana by 2030, have rescued the minor girl. Also apart from this with constant intervention to make Child Marriage Free Telangana, it has undertaken 200 signed from the parents for not engaging in child marriage and 2 FIRs registered regarding child marriage since last year.
As per the National Family Health Survey 5 (NHFS 2019-21), 23.3 per cent of girls in the age group of 20-24 were married off before attaining the age of 18. Meanwhile, Telangana data is slightly higher than the national average at 23.5 per cent and the state government has intensified its efforts to ensure that the minor children in the state are not married before the legal age.
Stretching on recent mission, members of Child Marriage Free India, a member said In coordination with police department they could rescue the 14 year minor girl of Kothapet, Ranga Reddy District on the second week of February and also with very difficulty convinced her patients to send girl to school and at present the girl is attending school regularly and she is in 9th standard. The Rescued Girl Child was produced before CWC Ranga Reddy and took Consent letters from parents to not perform Girl marriage until 18 years.
Throwing further light on the gravity of the issue of child marriage in Telangana, Ravi Kant, Convener Child Marriage Free India, said, “Child marriage has been an integral part of our social fabric for ages, and uprooting it completely is a daunting task. But the way the government of Telangana has taken up the issue and is converging all its departments and officials to fight for Child Marriage Free Telangana, I feel absolutely positive that the end of child marriage is near. Government’s commitment, civil society’s participation and grassroots level awareness jointly is paving the path for a state where every child will be protected, educated and empowered.”