Mysuru: Child marriages rise in district amid lockdown

Mysuru: The district witnessed a rise in child marriages amid lockdown. The officials received a total 23 complaints in two months. District child protection unit, children helpline, child development project officers and police managed to prevent all the marriages except in one case.

Most of the marriages were scheduled to held at 8 am or in the wee hours, to avoid attracting public attention.

A child helpline officer on condition of anonymity said that in most of the cases friends of bride or groom turned out to be the whistle-blowers.

In most of the cases, there were no wedding invitations. Only a few intimate family members received oral invitation.

In some cases, the bride, unwilling to enter wedlock and aspiring to pursue studies, ensured the message reached police through friends. Periyapatna taluk recorded

the highest number (six) of complaints while HD Kote taluk recorded five child marriage attempts. Speaking to The Hans India on Thursday, district women and children welfare deputy director Padma told that last year there were 131 cases of child marriages. Last year cases rose during lockdown, so did this year as well. She attributed the trend to low cost of marriages due to lock down restrictions on gatherings and duration of function. The second reason, according to Padma, was the haste with which the parents attempted to marry off their daughters upon coming to know about their affairs. She said in most of the cases the parents were well aware of the law prohibiting child marriage.

In one latest instance in the wee hours of Thursday, officials foiled a child marriage in K R Pet taluk in Mandya district. The groom, aged 36, tried to marry

a minor girl. Police raided the venue at 3 am. But the groom managed to escape.