In 2018, Childline stopped 175 child marriages

KOCHI: In October 2019, 16 cases of child marriage were reported from Kerala , taking the total to 127 over the past seven months. Of this, six were from Malappuram and two each from Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki, Palakkad, Wayanad and Kannur. If one were to look at the total cases in this period, maximum cases were from Malappuram and Wayanad.

The analytical report of Childline 2018 said that it could intervene in 224 cases of child marriages and 211 of them were teenaged girls. Malappuram topped the case list (64), followed by Palakkad (38), Idukki (33) and Wayanad (30). In 181 cases, the girls were aged between 16 and 18 and 24 while others were aged between 13 and 15. Among child marriage interventions, 37 children belong to scheduled tribes and 29 from scheduled castes.

Of the 224 child marriage cases, 175 were prevented. In 43 cases, Childline received information after the marriage. Six cases could not be prevented since the parents conducted marriage, neglecting the stop memo. An injunction order was taken by child development protection officer (CDPO) in 51 cases and 19 FIRs were filed based on the report of Childline and CDPO. And 21 people were arrested for conducting child marriages including 15 bridegrooms and six parents.

Anganwadi teachers were one of the key stakeholders in 2018 when it comes to reporting with 35 cases. Social workers in the locality (elected representatives, youth club members, NGO workers) wanted to maintain confidentiality in the 77 cases they reported in 2018. In nine cases, children directly contacted 1098 to stop their marriages.