Child marriages are less about force, more about false promises

By Yukta Mudgal

InBengaluru, many girls below 18 years of age get married due to allurement by older men, lack of awareness and emotional support from parents

Child marriage is prohibited under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006

Valli (31), a social worker at Marga, an NGO in Koramangala, said parenting plays the most important role in preventing child marriages

“I got married when I was just 17 years old because my father wanted me to get married to a 32year-old man who was rich I grew up seeing my father beat my mother I started thinking of living my life on my own terms and got married early But in the eighth year of my marriage, my husband started drinking and hitting me. ”

She is worried about her children because they are also growing up amid domestic violence

Valli narrated the story of 16year-old girl Kavya (name changed), who ran away from her home to marry a man who lured her with a promise of a good life

Awareness on TB is lac king among residents

Bandri, a taluk in Sandur, Bellary with a population of 8,400 has seen an increase in TB cases Currently there are a total of 150 active cases of which 105 are from Bandri, reports Yashaswini Sri

The taluk has seen a slight dip in cases to 61 in 2020, the stigma of not being treated remains unchanged Access to healthcare and connectivity continues to be a problem for the suffering residents Health officials list various reasons for their failure to control the disease from spreading One of the main reasons that contribute to the spread is the lack of awareness among the residents Full report on Page 2

Child

After two years of marriage, the man started beating her Kavya left him and now she begs in one of the lanes of Rajendra Nagar slum near Koramangala

Valli shared a story of a 15year-old girl Sofie (name changed), who married a 27year-old man At 18, she is a mother of two Her husband rarely comes to the house and has an extra-marital affair

Rajendra Nagar resident Pooja (name changed) said crying: “I got into an affair with Sanju (name changed) when I was in the tenth grade When my mother found out about the relationship, she beat me and that very moment I decided that I should leave my house and marry him ”

Pooja, now 19, has a one-yearold daughter with Sanju She suffers domestic abuse by her husband “While cleaning toilets in hospitals, I cry profusely and regret marrying him ”

She is weak and feels pain while breastfeeding her child

Hasina Begum (name changed) of Hombegowda slum near Lalbagh said her teenage daughter got into a relationship with a boy and now she is pregnant Hasina wants her to study or get married but her daughter is reluctant.

The Observer noted Hasina’s daughter has a very thin body, pale face, lips almost purple and darkness under eyes signs of malnourishment yukta m@iijnm org

51 child marriage cases registered in 2022, P4