The Palamu district social welfare office held a media sensitization programme on the prevention of the child marriage. It was presided over by the district social welfare officer Neeta Chouhan.
The sensitization programme was very useful and informative. It was held successfully too.
Media persons were 'most humbly urged' to exercise 'utmost caution and restraint' in matters related to child be it trafficking abuse, sexual attack or runaway etc.
It was said in the sensitization programme that 'sometimes in haste and hurry news about child is flashed without proper verification or authentication, the result of which is confusion prevails which is very damaging."
The district social welfare officer Neeta Chouhan said in her speech "Awareness about not doing child marriage has increased but still lots more are to be done. There are girls who inform us about child marriage. We have 5 such bold and brave girls who dared to inform us about child marriage. We will be saluting such brave hearts on November 14, the day this drive against child marriage beginning October 31, will conclude."
"In child's marriage it's not only the girl side or the boy side which is a wrong doing side. The guests attending such child marriage are a party to the unlawful act. The Pujari or the Moulvi etc who solemnises such child marriage is equal partner in this crime. All are to face the heat of law" reminded Neeta Chouhan.
Dr Tabrez Alam highlighted the reasons behind the child marriage. He showed slides of different aspects of the child marriage and sought media help in containing and curbing the child marriage.
Tabrez Alam, with the help of the slide, showed there is a considerable decline in the child marriage in Jharkhand but it is still higher than the national rate.
According to the National Family Health Survey 5 the child marriage episode in India is 23.3 percent while in Jharkhand it is 32.2 percent which means the episode of child marriage is 10 percent higher in Jharkhand than the rest of India.
Tabrez Alam again with the help of slide showed that there are 10 districts in Jharkhand which top the rate of child marriage. Jharkhand had 63 percent of child marriage episodes as per the National Family Health Survey 3 done in the year 2005 -006.
Among the 10 top districts Jamtara is number 1 while Palamu is at number 10. Jamtara has more than 50 percent of child marriage while Palamu has 35.40 percent.
Dhirender Kishore told that the concerned officials prevented 12 episodes of child marriage in 2021, 8 in 2022 and so far 14 this 2023 in Palamu.
No record of any shoot up in child marriage post Covid pandemic was shared with the media persons today. During Covid children were orphaned.
Alone in Palamu more than 110 people had died by Covid. An orphaned child specially an orphaned girl child is most susceptible to child marriage following death of either of mother or father or both.
However Dhirender Kishore was struggling to answer that these prevention of child marriage was cases 'reported or complained one only' while there is every strong possibility of more such child marriages taking place in Palamu without being discovered or reported or complained. Dhirender Kishore sought help from media quite honestly.
