In a collaborative effort to prevent child marriage and effectively implement the constitutional guarantee, the Mokokchung district administration and the DCPU organised an awareness programme.
Ajit Kumar Verma, Vesupra Kezo, Dr. T Amongla along with
stakeholders after the awareness programme on preventing child marriage
Mokokchung on Friday.
MOKOKCHUNG — In a
collaborative effort to prevent child marriage and effectively implement the
constitutional guarantee, the Mokokchung district administration and the
District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) jointly organised an awareness programme
at the conference hall of the deputy commissioner’s office on Friday.
The initiative was aimed at bridging the gap between
societal norms and legal frameworks by emphasising mass awareness as a critical
tool to eradicate the social evil of child marriage.
In his keynote address, the deputy commissioner of
Mokokchung, Ajit Kumar Verma, traced the historical roots of child marriage in
India, noting its evolution from a social norm to a harmful practice in today’s
era of rational-thinking and education.
“Child marriage is a social evil with severe mental,
psychological and health consequences for children,” Verma said. According to
him, prevention and enforcement by agencies are the first steps.
Stating that it is an offense to marry a girl below 18 years
from legal perspective, he called upon the stakeholders to sensitise the
communities about implications of laws and the detrimental effects of child
marriage through widespread awareness campaigns.
Dr. T Amongla, chairperson of Child Welfare Committee (CWC),
Mokokchung, who was the resource person, described child marriage as both a
social evil and illegal act that hampers girls’ education, health and
aspirations.
“It prevents girls from realising their dreams and denies
them a safe environment,” she said and urged for relentless efforts to prevent
child marriage at all cost and ensure that all girl child receives education
and protection.
While acknowledging progress in reducing child marriage, Dr.
Amongla admitted its persistent prevalence due to poverty, gender inequality,
cultural norms and lack of education.
She has made reference to the Prohibition of Child Marriage
Act, 2006, which repealed the 1929 Child Marriage Restraint Act, equipping
authorities with provisions to prohibit child marriages, protect victims and
imposes stricter penalties on those facilitating such unions.
While admitting its decline over the years, she stated that
practices remain significant that required a multi-pronged approach.
“Strengthening legal frameworks, empowering girls, engaging
families and communities and promoting gender-equitable norms are essential to
eradicate child marriage,” she suggested.
Also speaking on the occasion, senior superintendent of
police, Mokokchung, Vesupra Kezo, stated that no formal complaints regarding
child marriage in the district was reported. He was of the opinion that such
cases might gone unreported due to social stigma.
Reminding that marrying a girl below 18 or a boy below 21
years under the Child Marriage Prevention Act is an offense, he has stressed
the need for vigilance and community reporting to enforce the law effectively.
