E-Paper
Gonda minor reports her own marriage, gets to go back to school
The girl was discovered and rescued with the help of district level workers of the Aparajita Samajik Samiti
A student of Class 8 in Gonda reported her impending marriage to field officers and activists in the district, saving herself from child marriage. The girl was subsequently rescued by an anti-human trafficking unit and childline team, following which she was enrolled back in school.
On account of the wedding season and Akshaya Tritiya falling around the same time, child marriages in rural parts tend to see a spike at this time of year, activating government field officers and NGOs.
Knowing this, the girl, Suman Yadav (name changed) waited for field workers from child rights organisations to come towards her house, which was being decorated for her wedding, to be held in a few weeks.
The girl was discovered and rescued with the help of district level workers of the Aparajita Samajik Samiti, a state level child rights advocacy organisation.
This ground level survey is part of the Child Marriage Free India campaign which spans across 161 non-profit organisations across the country.
Despite the insistence of family members that she was an adult, with her mother providing a fake Aadhar card claiming that Suman was 18 years old, the girl told the officers that she did not want to get married and was being forced and pleaded for help.
The NGO tasked with this case verified the documents with the girl’s school and found that the Aadhar card was fake, and that the child had been pulled out of school to be married, much like her older sister two years ago.
The case was then brought before the Child Welfare Committee, who counselled the girl and her family, also starting the process of getting Suman enrolled in Class 9 in her school. As per procedure, the CWC and the field officers will be following up with the family after a month, to ensure compliance with the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act. According to Gonda CWC, if the family is found to be flouting the law, they will recommend to the police to take punitive action.
