Brave class 8 student in WB dialed 100 to stop her marriage

Kolkata, Aug 03: A class eight student of Hoogly district in West Bengal dialed 100 on Thursday, urging police to rescue her from being forcibly married to a 33-year-old local youth.

Reportedly, on Thursday the teenager dialed 100 told the cops that she wanted to continue her studies, but her parents would not allow her to do so.

On Friday morning the girl went to the Chandannagore police station with the same plea.

Immediately, police rushed to her home and alerted her parents to either call off the marriage or face penal action for marrying off their minor daughter.

Eventually, the parents complied with the request of the cops and called off the marriage. The teenager's courage has paved her way to achieve her own dreams.

Studies says, 27% of girls in India are married before their 18th birthday and 7% are married before the age of 15. According to UNICEF, India has the highest absolute number of child brides in the world.

The issue of child marriage has always been an alarming. Though it has decreased with the passage of time, but still, it exists on a large scale in the remote areas.

Under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006, the marriage between a man above 18 years of age with a woman below 18 years of age, is punishable with imprisonment of two years, a fine of up to Rs 1,00,000, or both. Parents or guardians encouraging, organising, abetting, forcing, conducting and even attending these wedding ceremonies are liable for prosecution and punishment under both PCMA and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act.