A girl, studying Intermediate first year in Palamaner, who daringly opposed her marriage with a married man (40) with two children, is now rehabilitated at the State government’s Mahila Pranganam in Tirupati, after the intervention of the police and officials of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
The girl’s father, a daily wager, is now with his third spouse, after the death of his two wives. In spite of her suffering in the hands of stepmother, the girl could get good marks in Class X this year, and joined Intermediate. The stepmother’s brother (40), already married with two children, made a proposal in the family that the girl be given in marriage to him, and in return he would assist the family financially. His sister readily agreed to the move, and kept forcing her stepdaughter to budge to it. The father, a habitual alcoholic, too had started forcing the girl to respond positively.
The girl further faced trouble from the proposer that he had reportedly threatened her that it would be not that easy to continue education if she spurned him. With only a few days left for the wedlock, she gathered courage, and approached the Child Line 1098, last week.
The rescue team along with the Mahila police took the girl into their possession.
After producing her before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and on her willingness to leave her family members, the girl was shifted to the rehabilitation centre in Tirupati on Saturday.