2 child marriages foiled in Ganjam

Berhampur: Police along with the Childline campiagners, the district child protection unit (DCPU) and the child development project officials have foiled two child marriages in as many villages in Ganjam district.
The parents of the girls and the boys have given undertaking before police that they have to wait for the marriage till the girls and boys reach the marriageable age of 18 and 21 respectively, official sources said.
While a 16-year-old girl of Ustapada under Bhejiput police outpost was scheduled to marry a 28-year-old youth of the same village, a 15-year-old girl of Mahanadapur under Chhatrapur police limits was planning to tie the knot with a 17-year-old boy of Baulagaon near Chhatrapur. Both the marriages were scheduled to take place on Friday.
"Prior to their marriage, we reached their parents and convinced them not to marry them at teenage, which is illegal. We talked them into postpone the marriages till they attain the marriageable age fixed by the government at 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys," said coordinator, Childline (Berhampur) Prabhu Prasad Patra.
"Since the parents of both parties agreed to put off the marriages and gave the undertakings, we have not registered any case," said OIC, Bhejiput police outpost, Sujit Kumar Das. Chhatrapur police echoed the same on Mahanadapur incident.
Last month, Childline activists along with police and DCPU had stopped a child marriage at BK Saranapur under Khallikote police limits when a 16-year-old girl was about to marry a 28-year-old youth in the same village.
Childline director (Berhampur) Sudhira Sabat stressed the need to create awareness among the rural people about marriageable age by involving the panchayat members.