Empowering PDOs brings new hope against child marriages

A recent notification allowing Panchayat Development Officers (PDOs) to register marriages could go a long way in curbing child marriages in rural areas.

By empowering officers at the panchayat-level, the government will be able to quickly identify and intervene in case of under-age marriages, activists and officials say.

Close to 2,000 child marriages were stopped across the state in 2021-22, with about 280 FIRs registered. The state also saw high incidence of child marriages during the pandemic. Between 2018-19 and 2020-21, about 5,500 child marriages were stopped and about 400 FIRs were registered.

With marriage registration not compulsory, several marriages go undetected as people do not come forward to get their marriages registered, pointed out Sriram, president of Gram Panchayat PDOs’ Association in the state. “Now that we are authorised to register marriages, we can encourage more number of people to get their marriages registered,” he said.

The PDOs are also officially identified as Child Marriage Prevention Officers (CMPOs).

PDOs as gatekeepers

Child rights activist Vasudeva Sharma observed that PDOs who have a good local rapport will be able to counsel citizens in case of child marriages. Also, at present people have to go to taluk offices, where there is scope for oversight, he said.

“With several marriage notices to consider in a taluk office, there can easily be an oversight when it comes to under-age marriages or those without parental consent. With the new government directions, we hope that the PDOs can act as gatekeepers,” he said.

Sharma, the executive director of Bengaluru-based Child Rights Trust, said his organisation would work with the RDPR department to create awareness among the PDOs about how they can intervene and stop child marriages.

Comprehensive database

The government notification has been issued with an aim to empower local self-governance, Additional Chief Secretary (RDPR) L K Atheeq said. By enabling PDOs to register marriages, births and deaths, a comprehensive database can be maintained at the gram panchayat-level. While this will not automatically reduce child marriages, this will definitely give a push in the right direction to curb such cases, he said.

The department, in coordination with the State Institute of Rural Development (SIRD), will soon give training to all PDOs in this regard, he added.

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