School students preventing child marriages to be felicitated

School students contributing to the prevention of child marriages in Rajasthan will be felicitated at district and state level.

The idea behind the decision, taken by the Rajasthan State Legal Service Authority (RSLSA), is to motivate school students to extend their cooperation in checking child marriages

Rajasthan witnesses large-scale child marriages on Akha Teej, Peepal Poornima and other such occasions considered auspicious by the Hindu community. Many students studying in schools are also pushed into marriage at tender age against their wishes.

“School students can play vital role in checking child marriages, as they can notice absence of student from class following his/her marriage near the auspicious dates,” said Hanuman Sahay Jaat, the fulltime secretary of the District Legal Service Authority, Jhalawar.

The RSLSA has initiated a three-month-long campaign for creating public awareness among people, and school students in particular, against child marriages and checking them. The campaign will be run from April to June.

“Some students in the country, who have contributed in checking child marriages in the past, had written to the National Legal Service Authority (NLSA) about lack of motivation to them for checking legal services, after which NLSA has instructed all state legal service authorities in the country to felicitate students who are coming forward in checking child marriages,” Jaat said.

He said that the District Legal Service Authority would felicitate all those school students, who inform police or concerned authority about preventing child marriages or prevent child marriages in the district.

“Students cooperating in inspirational and exceptional manner in preventing child marriages will be felicitated at state level ceremonies on Republic Day or Independence Day celebrations,” he said. There is no restriction on the number of student to be felicitated under the plan.

Jaat said that Jhalawar district administration has also announced to felicitate 100 people who will help in preventing child marriages.