Child marriages still continue

Hyderabad: Despite introducing several schemes like Beti Bachao Beti Padao, Kalyana Lakshmi etc to encourage families in empowering girl children to dream big and reach great heights, one would be surprised to know that even today the social evil of child marriages exist not just in villages but also in the urban landscape of the state.

Districts and Child Marriages

• Mahabubnagar- 26.2 per cent
• Nalgonda- 21.5 per cent
• Rangareddy- 21.1 per cent
• Khammam and Medak- 21 percent

​Fact File

• 14.3 million children constituting 11.6 per cent of population in the age group of 15 to 19 years are victims of child marriages in India.

• In Telangana 19.6 per cent of the married children are girls and 3.4 per cent are boys.

Even in a modern city like ours, there have been cases where parents have forced their young girls to get married to a divorcee or have been sold off to rich families as caretakers of their children under the excuse of being wedded.

At the age of 15 years, where children of her age were happily enjoying the company of their friends and molding their future, Sudha (name changed on request) a young girl staying at Addagutta was forced to enter a relationship with a father of two, given her family conditions.

" Which mother would want her child's future to be destroyed? But I was scared. Being the only earning member of the family after my husband fell terminally ill, I was sure that I would not be able to get my daughter married on a grand scale to a well-off family. Moreover, people in the society we live, too have been passing lewd comments on everything she did. So, I thought it was better to get her married soon even if that meant to engage her with a man who was a divorcee.

But hardly did I realise that I was stealing away my child's happiness and freedom to live her life the way she wants. Thankfully, I was stopped from committing the heinous crime which would have made my girl suffer. But now it all looks like a nightmare in which I would never push my princess." explains Aruna (name changed on request), Sudha's mother.

Hailing from an economically deprived family, Aruna found no better alternative to secure her child's future but timely intervention by the AP Child Rights Organisation was successful in not just stopping the marriage but also teaching the groom's family a befitting lesson.

Unfortunately amidst all the chaos, the most affected was Sudha, whose childhood was shattered forever. She cried and begged that she wanted to study but her mother wouldn't listen but an anonymous complaint helped the girl escape what could have been the biggest mistake of her life yet today a year after the incident; she still remains the center of harsh criticisms.

"After the marriage was stopped I was taken to a Children & Observation Home For Girls at Nimboliadda. For 11 days I was given vocational training and then was released. Yet there was no change in the people in my society and also in my family. In fact, they mocked at me and also called my mother names. We could not take it anymore, so we shifted but our economical condition brought us back here. I want to become a nurse but there is no one to guide me and support me. But I haven't lost hope.

I have learned stitching to support my family and also to someday fulfill my dream. That day I will do all I can to help child brides and fight against the social evil." avers Sudha. It is not just the life story of Sudha but of several other girl victims of child marriages who are awaiting help of the government to show them a way in leading a normal life!