Child brides

Villages of Khairagarh belt are known for conducting child marriages on two auspicious days 8212; Ramnavami and Akshayatritiya 8212; every...

Villages of Khairagarh belt are known for conducting child marriages on two auspicious days 8212; Ramnavami and Akshayatritiya 8212; every year. So much so that it is learnt that at least 400 child marriages were solemnised last year in this district alone.

This year, however, was different. Case in point is 15-year-old Ganga of Ragra village who had to drop out of school after her marriage was fixed for April 29 this year. She had the final say when a team, led by Rajnandgaon Collector G.S. Mishra, met her family and got the marriage called off.

Similar were the cases of Neera, Promila, Ansuya and Khemwati 8212; all in their teens 8212; whose parents were compelled to cancel their marriages in April. In village Atriya, the marriage party had to return empty handed after local teams reached Dropti8217;s house.

In another case, Samru Sahu, the father of two teenage daughters at village Malood, was arrested after he refused to call off the marriages of Panchwati and Sarita, slated for April 26. This year, the marriages of 139 teenage girls and boys from 43 villages were called off.

It seems that the drive against child marriages has only intensified. Anil Srivastava, sarpanch of village Ragra, had to face severe criticism for having been opposed to child marriages. He cites illiteracy and orthodox customs as the prime reasons behind the malpractice. He says many parents are unaware about the right age that law lays down for marriage. Poverty is cited as yet another cause.

8216;8216;Marrying a girl early costs between Rs 10,000 to 15,000. When the girl grows up, the cost doubles,8217;8217; says Srivastava.

Yet, on his toes to achieve the 8216;8216;zero-incidence8217;8217; target in 2005, the Collector has come up with three innovative ideas.

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All teenagers, approximately 88,000, in the district, have been issued certificates of age, also stating the right age for marriage. He has also distributed free sewing machines to girls and bicycles to boys whose marriages were called off as a part of the campaign this year. 8216;8216;The idea was to not allow the girls sit idle at home after they left their studies. Boys can go back to school using bicycles,8217;8217; he explains.

The Collector has also written letters to all local priests informing them about the provisions of Hindu Marriage Act. If they help solemnise child marriages, they too can face action. The NGOs too have stepped in. Slogans educating villagers against the malpractice have been scribbled on walls, en-route to the villages.