NEW DELHI: From the local tent house owners and marriage card printers to the person supplying flowers to decorate the venue and the ‘band-baaja’ — they could soon be the “eyes and ears” on the ground of district authorities tasked with preventing
child marriages
in pockets of the country.
This outreach led by the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights comes ahead of ‘Akshaya Tritiya’ also known as ‘Akti’ and ‘Akha Teej’ that falls on May 10 this year when mass marriages are solemnised every year increasing the threat of child marriages too.
All districts have been asked to undertake awareness programs with the public and key stakeholders such as child development project officers, child welfare committees, child welfare police officers, anganwadi workers, religious leaders responsible for performing marriages, and service providers involved in marriage functions like – printing press, tent providers, managers of marriage halls, caterers, music bands, decorators and the persons who apply the bridal mehendi.
NCPCR
also held a review meeting with all districts on all the measures taken to prevent and stop child marriages over the last financial year (2023-24). “we are analysing the data shared by the districts and will accordingly issue recommendations to states,” NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo told TOI. During the pandemic when concerns over rising risk of child marriage were raised, the commission decided to create a dedicated weblink to seek information related to child marriages and their prevention.
According to NCPCR one of the key area of focus of the outreach is tracking girls who are school drop-outs and creating a separate database of
vulnerable girls
among drop-outs in the age group of 15 to 18 who are most at risk of being pushed into child marriage.
To identify and reach out with assistance to vulnerable children, the districts have been also asked to compile a school-wise list of children who have dropped out, are out of school, irregular in attendance and those who are absent from school.
The NCPCR in a letter to all principal secretaries of the department of WCD in the states and Union Territories in March highlighted that the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006, explicitly articulates that to prevent the solemnisation of mass child marriages on certain days, such as Akshaya Tritiya, the “district magistrate shall be deemed to be the child marriage prohibition officer”.
States were asked to conduct a set of awareness activities and compile the data sought by April 1 and upload it on the dedicated link on the NCPCR’s website. However, some states are still to provide the information. At the review with districts swift compliance has been sought, officials said.
