Students rally against child marriages

Students staying in different shelter homes organised a rally against child marriages in the city on Monday. They appealed to girls and boys not to bow to pressures and spoil their lives.

The sensitisation programme was jointly organised by the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) of Women Development and Child Welfare (WD&CW) Department, the BC Welfare Department, Forum for Child Rights and Madona organisations.

Child Development Project Officer of WD&CW Department Suvarna flagged off the rally. Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Suvarna said many people are performing marriages of minors, spoiling their lives at a tender age.

The rally, which started at Gunadala, covered Gandhiji Colony and the nearby slums.

Krishna District Child Welfare Committee (CWC) Chairman B.V.S. Kumar said that under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, the parents, priests, community elders and others who encouraged the illegal marriage are liable for punishment.

“We request the parents to follow the Right to Education Act, 2009 and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and protect the rights of children,” Mr. Kumar said.

‘Encourage girls’

Explaining the schemes introduced by the State and Central governments for girls, he appealed to the parents admit their daughters in schools and encourage them to take up higher education.

Stating that it is responsibility of every person to stop the menace, Childline coordinator A. Ramesh asked the children to call ‘1098’, if they got information about child marriage at any place.

BC Welfare hostel matron Rajini Kumari, Childline staff Srikanth, Swaroopa Rani, Mary, S.J. Raju and others participated.