The Bharosa cell, which provides counselling and legal assistance to children, women and elderly people, received information about the child marriage. (Representational image) Officials from the Bharosa cell of Pune rural police prevented the marriage of a 17-year-old girl to a 24-year-old man at a village in Shirur taluka of Pune district on Monday and convinced the families of the legal implications of child marriage. Officials said that the girl belongs to a family of farm labourers.
The Bharosa cell, which provides counselling and legal assistance to children, women and elderly people, received information that a 17-year-old girl and a 24-year-old man from Shirur taluka were to get married in a village located around 90 kilometres from Pune city on Monday.
A team led by assistant police inspector Madhavi Deshmukh, in-charge of the Bharosa cell, approached both the families. βThe family of the girl told us that the girl was not interested in pursuing her studies. We sensitised them to the social, personal and legal implications of child marriage, including action under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. We also told them about options for the girl to pursue a vocational training course if she was not interested in studies. Such training can help her be financially independent in future.β said API Deshmukh. The police said that they will remain in touch with the family members.
At present, the legal age of marriage in India is 18 for women and 21 for men. Recently the Union cabinet has proposed to raise the legal age of marriage for women to 21.
In a similar action in the Shirur area in January this year, the team from the Bharosa cell had stopped the marriage of a 16-year-old girl to a 22-year-old man.
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