District Administration Swiftly Prevents Child Marriage

Raipur : As part of an ongoing campaign to prevent child marriages, the district administration successfully intervened to stop the marriage of a minor girl, earning widespread appreciation. Under the directives of Collector Mr. S. Jayavardhan, a joint team from the Department of Women and Child Development and the District Child Protection Unit promptly reached the site, counseled the family, and prevented the marriage.

District Child Protection Officer Mr. Manoj Jaiswal received information that a 17-year-old girl in Surajpur town was about to be married. Acting swiftly, District Program Officer Mr. Ramesh Sahu formed a joint team to investigate. Upon reaching the location, the team found that wedding preparations were in progress, and the family was preparing to travel to Korea for the tilak ceremony.

The team educated the family about child marriage laws, explaining that under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, marrying a girl before the age of 18 is a punishable offense with severe penalties. After counseling, the family agreed to postpone the marriage until the girl turned 18. A written agreement and official documentation were prepared, and the girl’s statement was recorded.

Additionally, those present were informed about the negative impacts of child marriage, and an appeal was made to support a child marriage-free India, Chhattisgarh, and Surajpur.

The team also provided information on Child Helpline (1098), Women’s Helpline (181), and Emergency Helpline (112), urging citizens to report cases of child marriage or any other issues concerning women and children.

The intervention team included District Child Protection Officer Mr. Manoj Jaiswal, Project Officer Mrs. Varsha Agarwal, Protection Officer Mr. Akhilesh Singh, Supervisor Avidha Uikey, and Childline representatives Kartik Majumdar, Ms. Sheetal Singh, and Pawan Dheewar, along with Head Constable Akhilesh Yadav and Prem Sagar Sahu.