Tribal residential school encouraging child marriages, alleges a parent

Yerragondapalem: A man wrote a letter to the AP Women’s Commission alleging that staff at Government Tribal Residential High School at Garapenta village in Prakasam district, were mediating for settlement of cases of sexual abuses and performing child marriages.

In his letter, the man who is father of a tribal girl studying Class-X in the school, said the school headmistress Garnepudi Priyanka, warden Bojja Prameela, headwoman Udatala Eedamma and watchman Chevula Anjaiah brought his daughter to his home on January 25 and informed him that she was five months pregnant. They also advised his family to get the pregnancy terminated. However, the family members questioned how the girl could become pregnant when she was residing in the hostel at the residential school.

He said that subsequently his family members had found that a senior Intermediate student studying at AP Residential School at Yerragondapalem was responsible for his daughter’s pregnancy. In the mean time, the hostel staff informed the girl’s family that they would provide groceries for the marriage of the girl and boy and warned them to get their marriage performed.

The man alleged that his daughter was third such victim in the school. Earlier, the four staff members of the school had performed the marriage of a X class girl after she was impregnated by a teacher. Another girl, a Class IX student, who was married on the suggestion of the same staff in January 2018 is studying Class X in the same school now. She visits her husband in the night, the man alleged.

He further alleged that the school staff were threatening his family of dire consequences if they didn’t listen to them and the boy’s family to settle the issue. He demanded probe into the irregularities at the school and justice to his daughter.