In north Karnataka, adults indulge in child’s play
Early marriages: Parents defy law to marry off children
A favourite game of children the world over involves marriage with its attendant rituals, as the young try to re-enact the weddings in their families and that of the neighbours.
But in north Karnataka, the games are scarily real, and are initiated by adults, as the number of underage marriages are showing an alarming increase.
From February to May this year, officials of the Women and Child Development Department have prevented as many as 61 marriages and rescued 122 minor brides and grooms, who are being housed in the Child Care Centre.
While some rescued children aged between 12 and 15 years were somewhat aware that they were being married off, those below the age of 10 were unaware that their parents were getting them married.
In May alone, five child couples were prevented from being married off at Gokak by members of the Child Marriage Prevention Committee headed by Child Development Project Officer. The committee could prevent the marriage due to the information passed on by social activists. But many more such marriages are feared to have passed off without the knowledge of the people and officials.
Heightening awareness among parents about the ill-effects of child marriages is the only effective tool to prevent the vile practice, says Women and Child Development Department Deputy Director K H Obalappa. Services of anganwadi workers and members of women’s self-help groups are being utilised to create awareness among communities with a thrust on villages more prone to child marriages. Street plays have been planned to educate the people and women in particular about the ill practice of child marriages and its adverse consequences, he stated.
Officials have been acting immediately to prevent child marriage on getting information of any such activity. Increased awareness has resulted in people tipping off the department officials and that has also resulted in preventing child marriages with the latest one being in Savadatti taluk on Tuesday, wherein a bride from Bhadravati in Shimoga district was being brought to be married off to a groom here, Obalappa said.
