Mahakalapara: The incidence of child marriage cases has been increasing day by day in this block of Kendrapara district. Child marriage is particularly prevalent in panchayats such as Batighara, Kharinasi, Ramanagar, Petchhela, Baulakani, Jambu, Kebidandua, Nanju, Suniti, and Gogua under this block. These illegal marriages, predominant among the scheduled tribes (ST), are conducted secretly, mainly due to poverty, illiteracy, and lack of awareness. Fearing administrative action, some families are marrying off their underage daughters in temples, monasteries and other religious places secretly at night by calling priests for quick ceremonies.
Local intellectuals have described this as a social ailment. Such clandestine child marriages are particularly attempted in tribal and Bengali-inhabited villages in the area. Tipped-off about such a child marriage, Mahakalapara Women and Child Development Officer Kabita Mallik took immediate action to stop the ceremony. Under her direction, a committee went to the concerned village, stopped the marriage and presented both parties before the District Child Welfare Committee. Similarly, another child marriage attempted by a tribal household was prevented by the department in May this year. Legal action will be taken against the families involved in child marriage, said Mallik adding that over 20 child marriages have come to light in Mahakalapara in the past two years and action has been taken by the department. Additionally, all Anganwadi workers in the block have been instructed to raise awareness among local residents to stop unabated child marriages. Efforts are being made by the department to resolve the issue, she added.
In certain communities, child marriages are conducted secretly with family consent when the girl is about 12-15 years old. Sources said families, usually from economically weaker sections, are marrying off their underage daughters with the help of local brokers to older men from Jhansi, Mathura, Vrindavan, Varanasi, Agra in Uttar Pradesh and Kolkata and Murshidabad in West Bengal. Many of these girls, after facing physical and mental torture post-childbirth, are returning to their parental homes. In 2017, a division bench of the Supreme Court had pronounced that marrying an underage girl is a punishable offense. Marrying a minor and keeping sexual relations with her is considered as rape. Legal provisions mandate criminal investigation in such cases and the POCSO Act provides for severe punishment for those involved. All the states have been instructed to strictly enforce these laws. On the other hand, underage pregnancies pose a danger for both mother and child. In this scenario, the risk of mortality is also very high for them.