Mysore/Mysuru: With schools reopening fully after a gap of over one-and-a-half years, Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) and officers from Women and Child Welfare Department of Mysuru are hoping to see a drastic decline in child marriages.

Ever since the pandemic began, there has been a dramatic spurt in child marriages where a majority of girls and boys have been married off because of COVID-19, lack of schooling, unemployment, pressure from parents and relatives, poverty and lack of alternatives. A heartening factor here is that many child marriages have been prevented by Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers along with their role in preventing the spread of the killer pandemic.

According to the data obtained by Star of Mysore from the Women and Child Welfare Department and Childline District Convenor Dhanraj, who is also the District Coordinator and Nodal Coordinator of the Childline, from April 2020 to March 2021, 288 child marriage cases were registered in Mysuru and out of which, 243 marriages were prevented. 45 minors were married off and cases have been booked against parents.

From April 2021 to August 2021, 88 child marriage cases were registered and 65 were prevented. 23 marriages could not be halted and cases have been booked. From September 2021 to October 2021, 52 child marriage cases were registered and 43 marriages were stopped in Mysuru. 9 weddings could not be prevented.

In all, from April 2020 till October 2021, 428 child marriage cases were registered and 351 marriages were stopped in Mysuru. 77 weddings could not be prevented.

According to officers from the Women and Child Welfare Department, once a minor — girl or a boy — is rescued from the wedding venue, they are placed in hostels run by the Department and enough care is provided with the Government taking over the responsibility of their education and welfare.

“If the child refuses to go back to the parents, we do not insist. Instead, the child can go with whichever relative she/ he is comfortable with or we will take care of them. Sadly, child marriages during COVID are not gender specific as both girls and boys have been rescued. In many cases, while the bridegroom is 28 or 30 years old, the girl is hardly 14 or 15. Even minor boys and girls just aged 14 or 16 have been married off,” an officer said.

ASHA workers have done a wonderful job during COVID and went beyond their call of duty to prevent child marriages. “A majority of the child marriages we prevented were based on the complaint filed by ASHA workers as they have easy access of information of any child marriage in the neighbourhood as they visit each village as part of their COVID work,” the officer added.

Period	Cases registered	Marriages prevented	Child marriages occurred
April 2020 to March 2021	288	243	45
April 2021 to Aug. 2021	88	65	23
September 2021 to October 2021	52	43	9
TOTAL	428	351	77

Maximum child marriages were prevented in Periyapatna taluk

From 2020 till date, maximum child marriages have been prevented in Periyapatna taluk closely followed by K.R. Nagar taluk. Mysuru taluk and city stand third, officers said. “We have also seen the trend of inter-village and intra-village child marriages where no outsiders were allowed. Even visitors dithered to go to such marriages due to the pandemic and as a result, we have missed stopping many marriages,” the officer said.

Childline District Convenor Dhanraj told SOM that all calls (from five southern States) to the Child Helpline land in Bengaluru and Chennai. “From Chennai and Bengaluru, recorded calls are transferred to Mysuru with specific ‘action to be taken’ tasks with instructions. Every month, we receive 130 to 200 calls and per day, we get 5 to 8 calls on an average,” he said.

“As soon as they receive a call, a team of officers visit the place of the child marriage and if the wedding is yet to be held, we will convince the parents not to marry minors. If the wedding has already taken place or if a wedding is taking place on the day of our visit, cases are booked and children are rescued,” he explained.

‘Maithri Saptaha’ from Nov. 14

As part of Children’s Day this year, a ‘Maithri Saptaha’ will be organised by the Child Development and Welfare Department where week-long awareness programmes will be held. Childline District Convenor Dhanraj said, “We will create awareness through radio programmes, dramas in school colleges, hold debate, drawing and essay-writing competitions for children from primary till college level to prevent child marriages,” he said.

In order to empower girls, it is crucial that they have the knowledge, tools, and skills necessary to remain safe and resist child marriage and also report to the authorities. “Through the awareness programmes, we will tell them about warning signs of harm, strategies to stay safe, systems and people to access. Girls and boys themselves should be in a stronger position to seek support in a situation when they are faced with child marriage,” Dhanraj added.