Child marriage reports from Sawai Madhopur

Jaipur, Apr 19 (UNI) While child marriages on Akshay Tritya today are continuing unabated in some districts of Rajasthan, there are other districts which are working overtime to make the occasion totally ''child marriage free''.

At least 12 child marriages have been reported from different villages in Sawai Madhopur district despite police and administration gearing up to prevent such unions, says Mr Dinesh Kumar, a social activist working with Rural Development Society in Vocational Training Organisation (RDSVTO).

Mr Kumar said child marriages are taking place with all arrangements like tents, dinners in place right under the nose of police.

Mr Kumar said a list of possible 12 child marriages was handed over to the Sawai Madhopur Collector. He said police called them to a police station and asked them to give a written undertaking that these marriages stand cancelled.

The villagers, in turn, gave the undertaking at the police stations and went back and participated in child marriages, with the police acting just as a mute spectator.

Mr Kumar said the minimum age of girls being married off is 5 to 6 years while for the grooms is 15 years.

In villages like Sherpur, Khilchipur, Trilokpura, Thorda, Jaalpakheri, Kailashpuri, Nemli and Rehwatpura, child marriages are commonplace.

One of the reasons behind the child marriages is that parents think it would be hard to find grooms for their girls later.

On the other hand in Jhunjhunu, child marriages have been witnessing a downward trend with many NGOs working hard to make the district child marriage free.

Mr Rajen Choudary, a social worker, said child marriage reports are few and far between. The slogan 'Early Marriage, Early Pregnancy' has worked in making the people in the district aware about the pitfalls of child marriage.

Striving to make the district totally 'child marriage free', Mr Choudhary said one of the reasons behind its existence is the declining sex ratio as it now stands at only 600 girls per 1000 boys. In 2001, the sex ratio was 1000 to 867.

Parents fear that it would be difficult to find suitable brides for their boys, that is why they prefer early marriage.

In Jhunjhunu, however, now girls, who have failed in schools or are not educationally inclined, are being married off early.

UNI