Gokul.RajendranThough child marriage is considered one of the biggest social evils, it seems that Trichy is not trying hard enough to curb the menace in the society. The scenario in the last two-and-half months underlined the seriousness of the issue which was deep-rooted in Trichy.Since April, 2018, ChildLine nodal agency and other stakeholders have intervened in 27 child marriages of which four marriages were already solemnised. The data from the sources of the social welfare department shows that five marriages were stopped in Musiri block while four marriages each were prevented in Thuraiyur and Vaiyampatti. Child marriages were also rampant in areas such as Mannachanallur, Thathaingarpettai, Thottiyam, Marungapuri, Pullambadi, Uppliyapuram and Trichy city.Parents in rural areas, who are aware of the consequences of child marriages, citing love-affair, poor economic background and frequent incidences of sexual abuses against girls, force their minor daughters into marriages.Sources in the district social welfare department put the blame on the police for the lack of stringent action against the perpetrators of child marriages. So, they lament that their efforts to sensitise the people are going waste.Chairperson of the child welfare committee (CWC) of Trichy S Indiragandhi said that in many cases the police failed to arrest the adult bridegroom and his parents despite filing cases. An FIR has to be filed if a child marriage was solemnised and the parties should be warned if it was prevented. "Police are least bothered about arresting those involved in child marriages. Filing of FIR is also not done in several cases," she said.Member of Tamil Nadu state commission for protection of child rights (TNSCPCR) P Mohan from Trichy also expressed his concern over the leniency of the police towards the offenders in the child marriage cases. "The bridegroom is the prime accused in the child marriage and his parents should also face action. Unfortunately, they escape from the clutches of the law because of the leniency of the police," Mohan told ToI on Wednesday.Superintendent of police, Trichy, Zia Ul Haq promised taking serious view of the matter. "I will check with the data about the number of child marriage cases registered and will ensure that proper action is taken as per the law," he said.While legal action was one option, the district administration a few years back had embarked on a move to enumerate girl student dropouts from schools. However, director of Childline nodal agency of Trichy Dr J Godwin Premsingh points out the lack of follow up in the matter. He has suggested periodical submission of such dropouts in classes 10, 11 and 12. "There was a practice to have a close watch on such dropouts few years back. The school education department should submit the report to the district collector every week. But the practice was stopped abruptly," said Godwin. He also called for the revival of parent teachers associations (PTA) and providing counselling to students in all the schools

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