KOZHIKODE: The efforts to tackle the child marriages are becoming fruitless, say child marriage prohibition officers (CMPO) of Kozhikode. In spite of their repeated attempts, child marriages are taking place in the rural areas of the district, especially among Muslims. In 2016, five cases were reported and prevented under Vadakara block, say the officials. Out of that, one marriage was prevented just a day before the ceremony.
"We had to file a petition at the Vadakara first class magistrate court to prevent the wedding since we received the information at the last moment. This particular family was not very poor, unlike the other cases. Even the people who are aware of the situation, keep it as a secret, since according to them, a good alliance is like lottery, whatever maybe the girl's age," said an official.
Poverty and social pressures are forcing the parents to send the daughters in marriage at an early age. The officials from the Integrated Child Development Services say that the situation was not limited to Vadakara and that they were receiving threats on a regular basis for ruining the 'future' of poor girls. "We are not in a position to provide a fixed phone number to let the victims or others to notify us about the child marriages. Sometimes, the officials are not able to reveal their identity since many of the people from the coastal area and coming from economically and socially poor backgrounds feel that preventing a marriage is a crime. They do not realise that child marriage is a crime," another official added.
District Child Protection officer Sheeba Mumthaz said that there were many practical difficulties in getting timely orders from the court. CMPOs are not much aware of the legal procedures and they don't get sufficient support and assistance from the police to conduct investigation and collect evidence. Stakeholders, especially police, have to be sensitised for timely intervention. "The general public also need to be educated for reporting such cases," she said.
